


To Each Future

by TangentDreams2



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Chaos Emeralds, Childbirth, F/M, Falling In Love, Fate & Destiny, Goddesses, Sex, Superpowers, Temporary Character Death, Time Travel, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:54:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 101,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24585661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TangentDreams2/pseuds/TangentDreams2
Summary: When Amy speculates somebody is out to get her, Sonic takes it upon himself to be her bodyguard, though he soon comes to realise that it's his future that is in danger. Stranger to this, he discovers that Amy is the vital piece in his timeline to prevent his potential devastating fate.
Relationships: Amy Rose/Sonic the Hedgehog
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	1. Good Future

Chapter One: Good Future

The city below was truly a splendor to see. A majestic cityscape created with the power of Chaos itself. White and gold buildings all leading up towards the grand temple that sat above all the skyscraping towers. The temple itself was one of a kind. A grand stature of white and gold with marble steps leading up to the main entrance. A magnificent sight, crafted by the mighty empress herself.

The male ruler leaned on the balcony, overlooking the city lights below and enjoying the mild breeze running through his quills. He smiled with content at the highly active city of which he ruled.

He was blessed. Insanely. Compared to the fate that was left to him had he not lucked out with this future was forever a reminder of how blessed he really was. A wife, four children with another two to shortly follow and the world bowing at their feet. Yes, he was truly a man to be envied.

And it was all thanks to her.

"I thought I'd find you out here." His wife could be heard from behind him. A smile appeared on his lips knowing she'd find him on the balcony.

"You cheated." He told her. "Using magic doesn't count."

The pink hedgehog walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "That was an unfair accusation. I merely found you out of habit." Her husband turned to face her, greeting her with a brief kiss. "What are you doing out here anyway? Oh, don't tell me..."

His smile grew, knowing she was reading his mind. She had closed her eyes, focusing intensely. She shortly opened her eyes. "Getting away from the advisors again. My, what am I going to do with you?"

"Read my mind again and you'll have a very effective solution." He smirked.

Curious, she read his mind again. Her eyes snapped open as she gasped at the thought. "Sonic The Hedgehog!" She giggled.

"Told you." His smirk grew wider.

"We have to get back. Everyone will be waiting for us." She insisted. He moved closer to her and began to kiss her neck. Despite what she had just told him, she didn't protest to his actions.

"We're in charge around here. They'll wait." He briefly stopped his affection before continuing to seduce her. "Besides." He mumbled against her neck. "Would you rather an appointment with the advisors or with me?"

She moaned softly, tilted her head back slightly. "The answer will always be you."

"Good girl." He resurfaced from her neck and kissed her passionately. His hands seeping through her cascading hair before gradually moving down to the fabric adorned on her slender shoulder. The light blue cape clipped at her collar bone was the first thing he discarded. Amy giggled against his lips, keeping her hands around his waist to allow him easy access to undress her.

He rubbed her shoulders lovingly, admiring their deception of appearing small and feeble yet they carried the weight of the world. Amy herself was a living, breathing contradiction. She appeared to be an easy target. A petite woman, though toned, looked easily defeatable. That wasn't the case at all. She was a formidable opponent, stronger than him and all their subjects.

He removed the chiffon fabric from her shoulder, easing the dress off from her upper body. She removed her hands from his waist and pulled down the rest of her dress, leaving her partially nude before him. Smirking at his wife, he took her in his arms and placed her on top of the balcony edge.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to get rid of me." She said.

"And lose my world? Never." He looked down at her protuding bump and paid his unborn children some attention by touching her bump. He smiled, knowing just days away, he would have another two more hedgehogs to chase around, nurture and raise to become a part of the Chaos Order. "When will they be here?" He asked his wife.

"Soon." Amy responded.

"You knew what was implying." Amy rolled her eyes and gave her husband a look. "Come on, you knew when the other children were coming."

Amy sighed, looking round at the city below. "Sonic, we talked about this. For once, I just want something to be a surprise. Unexpected. Unpredictable. Do you have any idea how monotonous life can get when you know the answer to everything?"

She had mentioned her frustration about her powers many times. They were a blessing, no denying that. But having the power of clairvoyance was one of her peeves. Knowing every event coming their way made life pretty predictable for her. Knowing all futures, all possibilities was, as she put it, exhausting.

Which was why she had blocked out all clairvoyant predictions from ruining any spoilers to this pregnancy. She had predicted they would be expecting twins and had left the future to take place on it's own.

Sonic had to admit that this particular power was often exploited by himself as well as their subjects. Being predictable kept them prepared, kept their rule in tact, saved lives and overall protected their empire.

Feeling bad for asking, Sonic looked down in shame. "You're right. I should be patient..."

Amy looked back at his sorry expression, feeling somewhat bad. He had been so used to her simply gathering information from their futures, was it really his fault for expecting her to do the same for their twins? She exhaled. "Alright... I'll see when they're coming. But we won't know their sex, okay?"

He lifted his head and smiled with gratitude. She closed her eyes momentarily before opening them to reveal the glowing white that had stolen her jade eyes. Sonic stood by, watching the empress cross dimensions right before him. Luckily for him, her face revealed her emotions. He had been expecting her to display a smile, any positive reaction even. Her expression was the opposite. Devastation, a frown and then a determined look.

Sonic blinked, now paranoid by her expressions. "Ames...?"

Coming back to their reality, Amy shook her head. Her jade eyes became present again though they danced with fear. "Chaos sake! I shouldn't have blocked the future!" She scolded herself aloud. She hopped down from the balcony and power walked back inside.

Sonic dashed to her side. "What did you see? Are the babies okay?"

"He's back." She said as she fabricated a short, red nightdress onto her body.

"Who?"

"Eggman. It seems I have skipped a vital piece of history. Eggman issued a document containing the events of my awakening sometime before he was encased in his cryogenetic chamber. So our Eggman had left this document to the Eggman of the past which revealed everything that's going to happen thus creating the possibility of erasing me from the timeline. He's also reconfigured the timing on cytogenetic tank to release the doctor sooner than anticipated. He's attacking the city."

Just then, a loud bang could be heard in the distance. A minor tremor shook the ground around them. "I have to go back and stop Eggman from killing you." Sonic told his wife with determination.

"No. You'll summon the others and protect the city."

"But I can't just allow Eggman to kill you." He walked up to his wife and grasped her shoulders. "I won't lose you. You know what will happen if I lose you."

Amy nodded. "I know. But trust me. I know what I'm doing."

His quills raised with anxiety at the thought of his alternative future threatening to return. He couldn't let that future happen. No matter what, that couldn't be his destiny.

Yet he couldn't personally go back in time and save that Amy. The Amy who knew absolutely nothing of her powers, of her significance to his fate. To go back would mean to leave his kids in a state of emergency.

Blast that doctor for complicating both timelines at once.

Amy kissed his cheek, bringing him back to reality. "Save the city and it's people." She told him before she began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" He asked his empress. By the looks of her, she appeared to be heading for bed.

The pink hedgehog turned back to him. "Oh. The twins are coming." She said simply before wincing at a contraction hitting her. She bared through the pain while gritting her teeth. "See you in a few hours." She said as she teleported elsewhere in the temple.

He took a moment to process what was happening. So, his past was currently in the process of being rewritten, Eggman was attacking the city and his wife had ironically gone into labour during all of this. He swept his quills back to try and ease his stress. There wasn't another moment to lose. He had to protect his children and his subjects from the mad doctor.

Pulling out a chaos emerald from his back quills, he contacted Tails' modified workshop within the city. The chaos signal connected to Tails' interface. "Tails. Are you there?"

Tails appeared within the chaos emerald. "For a moment! Eggman's unleash a bunch of Death Egg Sentinels and they're heading right this way! I've activated the first order of defenses but judging by the size of those things, they'll penetrate it no problem! I've calculated their speed, they should be here within the next hour. Where's Amy? Is she able to create a force field around the city?" Tails appeared to be typing hastily into his computer.

Sonic shook his head. "No. She's gone into labour."

The fox looked up at the screen to the emperor, his face filled with shock. "Please tell me you're joking?"

"Now's really not the time for jokes, Tails..."

Sighing hopelessly, Tails resumed his hasty typing. "Congratulations and all but she really couldn't have picked a worse time."

"She doesn't just choose when she's gonna go into labour." Sonic frowned at his best friend. "We can do this without her. We've fought without her before. It'll be just like old times."

"You're right. Sorry... I'll give you the baby gifts once this is all over."

"Thanks buddy. Be with you in a sec. Oh, did you get the others?"

Tails frowned at him through the screen. "Did you really have to ask?"

"Just checking." He smiled at his friend before disconnecting the signal. He placed the emerald back in his quills before racing through the temple to find his children and ensure they were in the safest location before he could fight the doctor. He dashed into the children's room to find his eldest son, Jolt, holding his triplet siblings close. They were huddled in the corner of the room.

Jolt was the protector. The purple hedgehog was more like this mother. Serious and virtuous. He had inherited Sonic's looks. Same shaped quills and same tanned skin and emerald eyes. He possessed Amy's bangs. They fell between his eyes, bringing out the colours of his eyes moreso.

The triplets were a major surprise to the couple. What was more surprising was the dizygotic pregnancy. Two identical twins within the triplets. Core, the first born of the triplets. The trouble maker of the four current children. He had two large quills and unkempt bangs on his forehead. He was definitely the most unique looking out of all of them. A light blue pelt and tanned skin with his mother's hue in his eyes.

Astra followed in her fraternal brother's footsteps. His troublemaking accomplice. Like her identical twin, Nova, her wavy, lilac quills cascaded down pass her elbows. Bangs matching her mother's along with her eye colour. The only way to tell the two girls apart was their skin: Astra having the tanned skin like her brothers and Nova being more pale, like her mother.

Their personalities could also tell them apart. Astra and Nova were polar opposites of one another. While Astra was outgoing, bold and devious, Nova was sensible, sensitive and compassionate. He knew it was wrong to have favourites but Sonic held a dear soft spot for his current youngest child, Nova.

"Hey..." He said soothingly as he approached his children. The triplets ran into his arms and hugged him tightly. Jolt slowly approached his father, sensing the high nerves radiating from him. Sonic looked up from the triplets and gave Jolt a comforting smile. "I know tonight's a little busy and noisy but I promise, everything is going to be just fine."

"What's happening out there?" Jolt asked. He knew his dad was going to play the whole situation off as something minor. There was a glimmer of worry in his eyes. Something that Jolt could see right through. "Are we under attack?"

Sonic inhaled, uncertain whether to be honest with such news. He didn't want to scare his children. He decided to play it off. "It's just a little disagreement is all. Your dad's gonna sort it all, okay?" He smiled reassuringly to his eldest son before looking at his younger children.

Jolt frowned. "Dad. I know something is up. I can feel it." He placed his hand near his heart. Surprised by the child's intuition, Sonic gasped slightly before shaking his head.

"Alright. You got me." He chuckled lightly to ease the worry. "You know that man I told you about? That not-so-nice guy, mummy and I used to fight all the time?"

"Egg-breath!" Core shouted.

"Egg-face!" Astra joined in.

"Eggman." Nova said, correcting her siblings.

Sonic nodded. "Eggman's back on the scene. But... The team and I will sort it, I promise."

"Where's mummy?" The four year old asked her father.

Sonic looked down at his youngest child and smiled. "Mummy's having the babies now. Once daddy cracks that egg, he'll come back for all of you and we'll go and meet them. How does that sound?"

The triplets cheered enthusiastically for the day they had all been waiting for. Jolt too got excited about meeting the babies. He gave his father a smile. "Be careful out there, dad."

"You know it, little dude." He gave his son a fist bump. Giving the children a final hug, he called for their nannies to take them down to the underground sector to remain safe throughout the fight. He guided them through the temple halls when they heard a loud crash and felt the ground shaking. Servants, advisors and guests ran out of the throne room and ran passed them, screaming in horror and fright.

Sonic turned to the nannies. "Keep them safe. You know where to go."

"Don't leave us, daddy!" Astra screeched.

"I'll fight that Eggbrain!" Core said, throwing punches in the air.

Sonic brought all his children into one big hug. "Stay with Beatrice and Mary. They'll get you to safety." He looked up at the nannies and smiled. He kissed their foreheads individually before he got up and ran towards the throne room. "Be good!" He shouted back to them.

Dashing into the throne room, he immediately looked towards the hole in the ceiling and the fallen debris just below it. In his Egg Mobile was Eggman himself, looking around at the throne room. His eyes shortly fixated on Sonic. He sneered. "Sonic The Hedgehog."

"Eggman."

"Long time no see! How long has it been? Twelve years? I must say, you've done well for yourself. But where's Amy? Grown tired of you?"

Sonic crossed his arms. "She's fine. Shame you won't be around long enough to see her yourself."

Eggman grinned. "We'll see about that." He clicked a button on his Egg Mobile. A Death Egg came falling through the hole in the ceiling and landed in front of Sonic, shaking the floor as it landed. Sonic staggered back and looked up at the giant machine. It's head was metres from scraping the decorated ceiling.

Sonic growled at the doctor. He expected a battle but in the middle of his home?

This was no good. He still needed to ensure the Sonic from the past was aware of what was to become of him, of his future without Amy. How vital she was in his timeline. Without that knowledge, his alternative future was sure to become a reality.

But who could go in his place? Admittedly after all the battles that had been brought to an easy defeat by the empress all these years had made the team rather blind to any threat without her. They couldn't afford to have one of the fighters go, neither he or Amy could go. Who could?

Being inches away from the incoming gigantic fist, Sonic leapt back and landed on all fours. He watched the robot slowly turn to him and steady it's gun. The hedgehog kept his focus on the robot, preparing to dodge the firing assault.

That was when he heard whimpering. "Huh?" Looking to his left, he saw a pair of black, pointy shoes with what seemed to be silver buckles across the top of them, under a nearby table. A pair of worldly outdated shoes that only one person Sonic knew would proudly be seen dead wearing.

Cryptic.

A newly appointed advisor with as much character as a mute turtle. He came across rather spineless and feeble, unable to say a few sentences without a bashful stutter and very clumsy. He was a tall, skinny, grey pelted badger adorned in a fitted suit. A perfect outfit to match his refined demeanour.

Despite his reputation for being a feeble, nerve stricken advisor, he was very much loyal to Sonic and Amy. He was very aware of their Sonic's and Amy's history and how they came to be rulers. Knowledgeable enough to possibly even go back in time and deliver this vital message for him.

Acting quickly before the robot could unleash his ammunition, Sonic pulled out a chaos emerald and held it above his head. "Chaos Control!" Time slowed down around him. Sonic ran towards the Death Egg and ran up the robot, searching for a potential deactivation button. Running from the robots legs to his head, Sonic luckily found the button on the robots neck. Slamming his hands onto the button, he quickly ran back to where he was originally standing and corrected the time.

"Fire!" Eggman yelled. He pointed towards the blue hedgehog in the centre of the living room. The robot remained inactive. "Hmm?" Eggman looked towards the robot to find the robot had been shut down. "What the- How?!"

"Hope you don't mind. Thought your robot was due it's nap." Sonic grinned.

"Why you little-"

Before Eggman could reactivate his robot, Sonic had spin dashed into his Egg Mobile and sent the doctor flying back through the hole he had created. "Sorry Egghead. Just got something to do before we get down to the main event." The ruler turned towards the table where he had spotted his advisor. He walked towards the table and stood in front of it. "Cryptic." He let the man know he was aware of his presence.

"Y-your Imperial Majesty?" Cryptic popped his head out from under the table. Seeing his emperor standing above him, he quickly scurried to his feet and bowed his head. "F-forgive me, your Imperial Majesty. I-I-I took refuge from the assault."

Bothered by the use of the title, Sonic inhaled and shrugged it off. "You did the right thing, Cryptic." He turned away from the man and headed towards the grand doors. "Come. We have much to do."

Cryptic looked puzzled. "F-forgive me, your-"

"Cryptic. We've been through this many times. Call me Sonic." The blue emperor informed the stuttering man.

The advisors stopped himself from speaking and reconsidered his words. "M-may I call you, S-s-sire, your Imperial M-majesty?"

Sonic sighed. "Sure."

Cryptic's eyes danced at the opportunity to use such an informal title to the king of kings himself. He was well aware of the emperor's intolerance to the correct addressing to his title but the badger himself couldn't possibly break years of teachings in regards to the strict protocol of etiquette. "May I ask, Sire? W-what it is you require?"

"I'm so glad you asked." Sonic grinned at the advisor. He grabbed the man's wrist and ran with him in tow towards the library. The man yelped as he experienced the emperor's speed first hand for the first time. Coming to a halt in the library, Sonic released Cryptic and watched as he tried to regain his footing. "Sorry. We don't have much time on our hands." He said. He began to rummage through the books on the various shelves, searching for the books Amy had written about the events of her awakening and various parts of history. Upon finding the information he was looking for, he piled the books onto Cryptic.

Cryptic struggled under the weight of the books. "M-may I ask, S-sire-?"

"What do I have planned for you? Why I've piled these books on you? Very good questions." Sonic continued to rummaged through the books and documents. "You like to travel don't you, Cryptic?"

"I-I do get a little t-travel sick..."

"Great!" Sonic failed to listen to the advisor's condition. He stood before the struggling man. "You have been chosen to go back in time and save me and my family."

Cryptic's eyes widened, his anxiety now on fire. "B-b-but Sire... I am but a mere advisor. I'm sure there are better suitors for this task."

"Nonsense. You are the perfect man for the job. All you have to do is go back in time, tell my younger self about what is to come. Simple. We'll get you once the battle is won, okay?" Cryptic opened his mouth to protest on the idea but was shut down by the blue hedgehog. "That's what I like to hear!" Sonic pulled out a chaos emerald and located his wife. She was located in one of the guests rooms, beneath the temple. "Let's move."

He lifted the chaos emerald in front of him and teleported Cryptic and himself to his wife.

* * *

Teleporting into the bedroom, Sonic stepped forward towards Amy. She lay in the middle of the four poster bed, surrounded by midwives and nurses. The white, sheer fabric canopies covering the bed posts just barely shielding her dignity.

Waving her hand, Amy used her powers to open the canopies, exposing herself to the men.

Cryptic bowed his head and kept his head down. "Your Imperial Majesty."

Sonic looked back at the advisor to ensure he was not staring at his wife in her vulnerable state. Pleased to see the man respectfully keep his head down, he smiled. Turning back to his wife, he approached her with an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry to have to ask you this right now."

Amy grinned at her husband. "Stealing energy from me when I need it the most. How dare you." She jested.

Sonic bashfully chuckled. "You know I'm not the greatest at pinpointing my portals."

"Amateur." She bantered. "If you must take my knowledge, I expect something back in return." She flashed a flirtatious smile towards him.

He smirked. "Everybody look away." He told the others in the room. Seeing everyone had turned around, he leant down and kissed his wife passionately. She eagerly returned the same amount of passion, bringing her hand to rest on his face as she pulled him close.

Her energy and experience flowed into her husband as she transferred her magic into him. Weakened, Amy broke the kiss and fell back onto her pillow. Sonic held her hand briefly before slowly backing away from her. "Thank you."

Turning back to Cryptic, Sonic pulled out a chaos emerald once more and held it before him. "Chaos control!"

A portal appeared in the middle of the room. The power radiating from the portal emitted a gust of wind through the room, causing everybody to brace themselves from the winds. Once the wind eased, Sonic grabbed onto Cryptic's shoulder. "This portal will teleport you exactly ten weeks before the war. That should be enough time to persuade my younger self about his potential futures."

Persuade? What was that supposed to mean? Did the young emperor not agree to his future? Was that why he was given all that time? To persuade?

"Now you need to remember. Don't call him _Your Imperal Majesty_ or _Sire._ Stick with Sonic. And don't bow." He pushed the advisor towards the portal. "This Future lies in your hands. I'm counting on you, Cryptic." He told the man before pushing him into the portal.

Cryptic screamed as he fell into the portal. It closed behind him. Without losing another minute, Sonic gave his wife a final kiss on the head before rushing out of the room and out of the temple to assist his team in fighting the doctor.

With all his hope, he prayed the feeble man would succeed in his endeavours to save him and his family.


	2. The Lurking

Chapter Two: The Lurking

_In the midst of the desolation and destruction, the blue hedgehog stood amongst the fallen buildings and lost homes, all engulfed by the burning flames and smog, turning the once thriving city to rubble and ashes. The sky had been painted red from the tiny particles the flames had created, leaving an ominous atmosphere that made Sonic feel great unease._

_Looking down at his red shoes, he saw the pieces of scrap metal and screws beneath his feet. Upon further inspection, he found various pieces of Eggman's robots scattered around him. Enough to assume his entire fleet had been destroyed. Just what had happened here? Why couldn't he remember anything that had happened here?_

_He could feel a presence. A cold, malicious presence nearby. Alarmed, he tried to move his legs, only to find he couldn't. His legs were paralysed on the spot. "Wha- What?" He looked down at his legs and struggled to move them._

_"Hahaha!" That familiar laugh made his ears dart in the direction of the voice. Doctor Eggman. That eery presence was coming from him. Why? Why did he feel afraid?_

_A_ _silhouette appeared in front of Sonic. Another familiar figure. Small framed, more than likely female, possibly bare before him. They turned to him and remained in place._

_"Say goodbye, Sonic." Eggman's voice came to his ears, followed by a sneer. A laser beam shot passed him, firing into the silhouette._

_Female screams pierced his ears and shook through his core. He could feel his heart pang, threatening to burst under immense heartache. He gripped his chest tightly, looking down at his chest and mentally questioning the reason behind his own pain._

_The silhouette became blanketed in a white light. Seven more lights appeared around her_ _then faded along with the silhouette._

_The pain in his heart brought him to his knees. He breathed heavily through the pain on his hands and knees, failing to see his surroundings change from the devastation, to a dark abyss. The pain in his heart began to change from immense heartache, to crippling terror. "W-where am I? What's happening?" He thought aloud. He looked around, shocked to see his environment had changed._

_He tried to get up from the ground but soon realised he was now paralysed in his position. He struggled to get up from the ground, panicking with uncharacteristic fear._

_A pair of red eyes appeared in the_ _distance_ , _sending chills down his spine. His eyes widened and fixated on the pair of eyes that seemed to be getting closer to him. In desperation, Sonic attempted to get up from his position once again with anxious struggle._

_He saw a pair of shoes stand in front of him. No doubt those shoes belonged to Eggman. Looking up, he saw the doctor sneering at him. The sense of terror had gotten stronger with the large man's presence. No matter how much he fought to break free, he remained immobilised. Trapped._

_Eggman laughed menacingly and leaned down towards the hedgehog. With a male grin on his face, he said the words that made Sonic's blood run cold. "I win."_

_The echoes of the doctors laugh tormented him, getting louder and louder the more he fought to getaway. His heart raced faster than his feet as the immense fear overcame his senses. For the first time, the only time, the last time, he had fallen to Eggman's will._

_"NOOOOO!"_

"Aaah!" Sonic shot up in his bed. He, along with his sheets now sodden with his perspiration. His chest heaved up and down as he looked around the room with wide eyes.

What kind of dream was that?! It felt so real, so vivid. He placed his hand on his chest. His heart was beating just as fast as it had been in that dream. Intensely rapid.

He took a moment to compose himself, inhaling deeply and exhaling the laboured breaths. He had dreamt a few nightmares in his time but never had he experienced one quite like that one. What happened to the city? Who was that girl? Where did he end up? Did he really lose to Eggman?

The questions span around in his mind, proceeding to give him a headache. No longer able to relax himself to get back to sleep, he decided a drink of water would be the next best thing. The blue hedgehog threw the covers off him and jumped out of bed. He opened the door to his bedroom and made his way to the kitchen.

A light coming from the living room stopped him on his journey to the kitchen. Tails. Why was he up at this time? Typical fox behaviour to be up all night. No doubt he would be hearing continuous complaints and yawns from the teenager in the morning.

Rolling his eyes, Sonic allowed his curiosity to take over and peered through the slightly ajar door. He saw his teenaged friend sat on the sofa, writing on a notepad with the TV playing in the background. Sonic looked back at the TV screen to see what he had been watching. It seemed to be a home video. Wait, that was Amy's room!

The blue hedgehog felt his stomach churn. Why was his best friend lurking in on their friend's private quarters? More specifically, of all the people... Why was he lurking in on Amy?

To his surprise, the girl in question appeared on the camera. She had walked back into her room wearing nothing but a towel. She walked to her chest of drawers and pulled out a nightdress and placed it on her bed.

It seemed she was unaware she was being watched. This only made Sonic feel more unpleasant. He never expected this type of behaviour from his little buddy. It wasn't going too far to say he was disappointed in his friend.

Looking back at the screen, he saw the female hedgehog remove her towel and place it on the bed. Thankfully, she had been facing away from the camera but that unfortunately hadn't saved her derriere being on view. One which even Sonic shamefully found himself staring at.

Having seen enough perversion from the teenager, Sonic dashed into the living room and grabbed the remote and switched off the TV. "Hey!" Tails protested, now facing the hedgehog in complete darkness.

Sonic switched on the main light. "What are you doing, Tails? I expected you to know better than this." He crossed his arms in disappointment. "I mean, I get it. You're a teenager now and the hormones can be wild but spying on Amy is not okay."

Tails glared at the blue hedgehog. "I wasn't spying-"

Sonic scoffed, looking at the now switched off TV screen and then back at the fox. "Come on, pal. You've gotten caught in the act. If you want access to naked girls, use the internet. Don't spy on our friend."

Tails frowned. "For your information, Amy allowed me to set up this camera in her bedroom. She thinks something or someone is watching her sleep at night. Since you've been too busy to get a hold of, I took on the task. This incident is first recording so she obviously forgot the camera was set up. Thanks for the immediate accusation though..." Tails grabbed the controller from Sonic, grudgingly ignoring his presence.

Sonic bashfully scratched his head. "I'm sorry, buddy. Guess I jumped the gun on that one..."

"Yeah. Just a bit..." The fox held his frown. "And I'm not taking advice from a guy who doesn't know how to clear his search history." He couldn't help but grin at Sonic's shocked expression. "I'm guessing models and beach babes are your thing?"

 _Touché fox boy..._ Not wanting to have that particular conversation anymore, Sonic grabbed the controller back from the teenager and turned the TV back on. "So Amy thinks she's being watched?" He asked, changing the subject. He jumped next to the fox and placed the remote between them.

Smirking at Sonic's avoidance to his previous comment, he took minor satisfaction in his small victory. "Yeah. She came to me with this issue about two weeks ago and I set up the camera around that time too but I've only got round to watching them all now. Since you're up, you can help me get to the bottom of this. Switch the light off, will you?" He picked up the remote and skipped over the scene with the lewd nudity of their friend.

Sonic switched off the light and watched footage of Amy sleeping peacefully. They skipped over the daytime footage with no activity and focused on the clips where Amy was present in her room. After reviewing the first week of filming her sleep, they found nothing out of the ordinary.

Yawning, Sonic tried to keep himself awake. Even though he was grateful that nothing was happening to Amy, the lack of activity on the video wasn't fun to watch. The only interesting part had been the sight of the pink woman's behind. It was probably best to take that particular footage away from the young boy's hands... For Tails' sake of course.

"Well this is eventful..." Sonic yawned once again.

Tails kept his eyes on the screen. "It's better to be safe than sorry. You wouldn't actually want anything or anyone watching Amy, would you?"

"Good point. Though I highly doubt anyone would wanna-"

"Ssh!" Tails hushed his blue friend. "Look!"

The boys watched the screen intensely. Amy had been stirring in her sleep briefly until her eyes shot open, emitting a white glow. Suddenly, the camera began to experience technical difficulties and showed a static screen.

"What the hell was that?!" Sonic gawped at the screen.

"Fascinating..." Tails jotted down their findings. "I've never seen anything quite like that before."

Sonic was speechless. He hadn't seen anything quite like that either. Especially from Amy. This power coming from her was strong enough to cause a disturbance in the camera. That had happened when two chaos emeralds came together but to see the same reaction from a person, Amy no less, was a phenomenon.

Was this chaos at play? She didn't possess the chaos emeralds and from what he knew about her, she couldn't unify the power of chaos like he could.

So how on Mobius was she now creating bright lights and electrical power surges?

The footage came back on the screen. They were now viewing the night after Amy's strange incident. She appeared to be once again, sleeping peacefully in her bed. "Well, at least she looks peaceful here."

He had spoken too soon. To their horror, they witnessed the moonlight shining into her bedroom was now showing a shadow slowly lurking up the wall as somebody's presence became known. "Someone's on her balcony!" Tails gasped.

Sonic sat on the edge of his seat. His stomach churning violently as Amy's suspicions were made a fact. Someone had been watching her whilst she slept. In her most vulnerable state. Who knew what twisted mind was peering in on her?

Worse, as they continued to watch the footage, they soon realised this lurker knew how to get into her home. They had picked the lock on the balcony door and carefully made their way in. Sonic's eyes widened and his breath hitched in the back of his throat at the figure beside Amy.

Metal Sonic.

He towered over and simply watched her sleep. He never moved or made a sound. Just watched as her chest gently moved up and down with her breathing. After two hours of standing over the pink hedgehog, Metal slowly turned towards the camera. His piercing red eyes stared into the camera lens. A chilling sight. He got closer to the camera and did nothing but stare into the lens, letting them know that he was aware of their surveillance. The camera shortly returned to the static screen, indicating the end of filming.

Sonic and Tails exchanged horrified faces. Metal... Of all people to be creeping into her room, it had to be Metal? Amy's worse nightmare. Ever since his robot doppelganger kidnapped her on their first meeting, Amy had been petrified of Metal. Seeing him in battle was enough to send her into a state of paralysis and petrified fear. If she knew he had been watching her sleep, she would never sleep again.

There were so many questions without answers. What was happening with Amy? Why was Metal spying on Amy? Did Amy have powers and was she aware of them? Did Metal know of these powers? Was he there to harness these powers from her?

He wasn't going to sleep until he found those answers.

Jumping up from his seat, Sonic turned back to Tails. "I gotta make sure she's okay."

Tails nodded back at him. "Just be careful, Sonic. We don't know anything about what's happening with Amy and letting her know that her worse enemy is stalking her may backfire on us."

"Huh?" Sonic turned his whole body to face his fox friend. "You're suggesting we don't tell her about all this?"

"I'm saying be delicate with these findings. There's definitely something going on and we need to get more information before we say anything."

The situation seemed too dire to be considering details. If Amy did have powers and was uncertain on how to use them or if she even possessed them, wasn't it best to monitor her or at least run some tests? As for Metal, there was no knowing of his intentions. They couldn't just sit back and let him be a creeper in her bedroom.

"I gotta go. Don't wait up." Sonic told his younger friend before he ran out the workshop and headed straight to Amy's house. If that scrap pile was lurking around, he'd no doubt find him there at this time. 4:37am, according to his communicator. From the timings on the footage, Metal usually appeared around 2:30am until around 5:00am. That way, he could be the creepy robot that he was until Amy got up, at 5:30am.

Nearing her house, Sonic surveyed the outside of her home first. Three laps around the exterior, checking for any opened windows or doors. He then peered into the windows where the view into the house was not shielded by any curtains. Safe from that minor inspection. Now he needed to get inside.

He ran back to the front of the house and jumped up to get to her balcony. He grabbed onto the ledge and pulled himself over to avoid slamming his feet onto the decking and waking her up. Looking into her bedroom, he found her to be alone, still peacefully sleeping. Hmm, apparently Metal took a night off from his creepiness.

Checking the balcony doors were locked, he was reassured in knowing they were. Though that meant he would have to break in. Hopefully Amy wouldn't mind too much. He spiked his quills and pulled one of his hairs out. Using the single quill as a picklock, he successfully opened her door. Sonic closed the door behind him and sneaked passed the sleeping girl to investigate. He made sure to check every room in the house. Guest bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, living room and dining room. Nothing.

Sighing with relief, the male slumped on Amy's sofa. Knowing she was safe, he was finally able to relax slightly. Just enough to close his eyes for a minute... Two minutes... Ten minutes.

He shortly fell asleep.

* * *

Stirring on the sofa, the blue male tried to get comfortable. A shimmering sound had been bothering him every now and again throughout his sleep, getting stronger and then weaker as the morning passed him.

A glow soon began to radiate from his back quills as the sound of the shimmering got louder. Sonic shot up instantly upon realising that shimmering and glowing was coming from the chaos emeralds. He pulled out the red chaos emerald from his back quills. It was reacting strongly to something, but what?

"What?" Sonic muttered to himself in the midst of his confusion.

The red emerald wasn't the one to be going crazy. Looking over his shoulder, Sonic could see the other three chaos emeralds he was carrying were also reacting. His back quills vibrated violently from their reaction. Pulling all the chaos emeralds out of his back quills, he jumped away from them as they gave off a blinding glow.

"Sonic!" Amy called to the male hedgehog. Sonic turned back to the girl who covered her eyes from the light. "What's happening?!"

"I don't know! They're reacting to something!"

Amy cautiously made her way over to Sonic, unknowingly causing the chaos to react even more. They began to levitate off of the sofa where Sonic had dumped them. The blue hedgehog looked at the reacting chaos emeralds and then back at Amy. He looked back and forth between the two before he created the correlation. Were the emeralds reacting to her?

Lifting the girl in his arms, Sonic raced outside and kept a good distance from the house. The glowing eventually died down with Amy being away from the emeralds.

Placing Amy back on the ground, Sonic turned to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." She looked at him, still confused by the whole ordeal. "What was that about, Sonic?"

He was just as puzzled as she was. Amy had been around the chaos emeralds for the nearing ten years he had known her. Why were they playing up around her now? Did the reaction of the emeralds have something to do with what he had seen last night?

So this could be something to do with chaos energy...

"Whatever is wrong with them, I suggest you get them out of my house. You know how powerful those things are. I don't want to come home to a destroyed house." She placed her hands on her hips.

If such powerful emeralds could react to her, Amy having powers could be more serious and catastrophic than originally thought.

"Good idea." Sonic nodded to the girl. "Wait here." He dashed back into the house and picked up the emeralds. They were still reacting, though it was mild compared to the light show they had just caused. It was best to keep them away from her until he and Tails could figure out what was happening with her. Stepping back outside, Sonic waved at the girl, signalling it was safe. "You can go back in now, Ames!" Not wanting her to cause another reaction, he waved goodbye and rushed back to the workshop to let Tails know what had happened.

"Sonic, wait!" Amy called out to him. Sonic had already sped away before she could get his attention. Sighing, she walked back to her house and continued with her day. She had a busy day a head of her after all. She wanted everything to be perfect.

It wasn't everyday your crush insisted on moving in with you.


	3. Aurielle Paeonia

Chapter Three: Aurielle Paeonia

Just as Sonic predicted, the teenaged fox was indeed suffering from fatigue. The late night and early morning was the sacrifice he had made to try and analyse his findings on the tapes. He sat at his main desk, energy drink in hand and continued his research on the footage.

He had noticed Sonic hadn't returned after he left to protect Amy. That could mean three things. Sonic had a face off with Metal, he had been held captive by Amy herself or he had no doubt fallen asleep whilst there. If Sonic had found Metal at Amy's house, Sonic would have contacted him and the team for backup. Being held captive was the most amusing conclusion though rather unfair on the pink hedgehog. Yeah, he was certain Sonic had camped at Amy's for the night.

And judging by the late morning, he must have been enjoying himself.

Sonic was a complex character. Anyone who knew him, knew that fact. While the fox was uncertain of everyone's stance on Sonic's interests, he was positive that Sonic was hiding a crush on his long time fan. There had been a few times where he had found Sonic staring, he'd even use the words, checking out the pink hedgehog when he thought nobody was looking. It would make sense after all. According to Sonic's browsing history, his ideal woman was model built. Tall, slender, toned... big assets... Though Amy wasn't exactly the whole package, she was enough to earn lustful gazes from their leader.

Well, regardless of what was keeping Sonic at Amy's house, he would just have to continue without him for now. The fox took a sip of his energy drink and played the footage on his computer.

"Aagh!" A voice came from outside his workshop.

Alerted by the sound, Tails leaned his head to the side to see passed his screen. Had he heard someone scream outside his workshop? Curious, the fox opened the application on his computer to see the footage of the camera outside his workshop. He saw a peculiar man dressed in a formal suit on the ground, surrounded by books. Raising an eyebrow, Tails decided to investigate for himself and see if he could help the man.

Cryptic slowly staggered to his feet and dusted himself off. Thank Chaos he had made it in one piece! How traumatic. Though for a few seconds, falling through that portal was enough to make him want to remain in this time just to avoid having to experience that again.

He looked around at his surroundings. Pleasantly calm and rich in greenery. So surreal compared to the thriving city in which he lived and served in. Two completely different worlds and yet such a minor span of time.

"Are you okay?" A somewhat familiar voice came from behind him. Cryptic turned to the fox, a recognised face. Ah, so this building must have been Miles Prower's first workshop before settling into the city of Anchora.

Cryptic stood up straight and bowed his head. "Master P-prower. It is an h-honour to be in your presence once again." Upon lifting his head, he studied this version of Tails. Significantly shorter than his future counterpart. Understandably so, this version of the genius must have been fourteen. Masculine features just making their way onto the boy as he continued the gruelling journey of puberty.

Tails looked rather bemused by the formal address. By the look of this man, it was to be expected but how did this man know who he was? He had never seen him in his life. "Um... Sorry but... Have we met?"

"Oh, no, no. N-not yet, but we will... In the future. I-I know we've met h-here, right now. But..." The advisor sighed and reevaluated his own words. "M-my name is Cryptic. I... I h-have been send from the future w-with a message from H-his Imperial Majesty, to Sonic The Hedgehog."

Bewildered by this information he was hearing, Tails took a moment to respond. "Uh, okay... Well, uh. Sonic will be back real soon. Why don't you come in and wait for him to get back?"

Cryptic smiled at the fox's generosity. "T-that is most kind."

"Let me help you with those." Tails insisted. He began to collect the books and papers off the dirt path.

"Oh!" The badger quickly knelt down and helped to gather the books. With the books collected, The advisor bowed to the fox, gesturing him to lead the way. In doing so, he dropped a few books off his small pile. "Bother!" He tried to lean over and grab the books and unfortunately dropped the rest of the books in his hands.

Tails stifled his laughter and watched the badger clumsily pick the books back up before leading the way into the workshop.

* * *

Walking back into the living room with a tray of tea, Tails placed the tray on the coffee table and sat next to the advisor. Cryptic thanked the fox for his hospitality and took a sip of his tea.

Tails watched the man, still rather bemused by the man's level of etiquette. The way the man placed a napkin on his lap before taking the cup of tea from the tray. He stirred his drink with such unseen standards of adequacy before placing the spoon down on the saucer and took a small sip. He seemed to put the cup on the saucer after every sip. The fox was uncertain if he should drink his own drink in front of this man.

"I must t-thank you again for your hospitality, Master Prower. The tea i-is exquisite."

Tails smiled back at the badger. "Please, call me Tails."

"Ah, my apologies, Ma- Tails. His Imperial Majesty w-would often reprimand me for addressing him by his t-title." Cryptic took another sip of his tea.

Intrigued, Tails turned his body towards the badger. "What is it you do for this Emperor?" He asked, trying to imitate the man's adequate tea sipping.

"I am one of his advisors. A-as the name applies, I advise the Imperial Majesties. W-whether it be social affairs or political." He shuffled awkwardly. "I-I am somewhat new to the role but I believe my... Loyalty for the I-Imperial family will bring fortune t-to my abilities."

"You must be pretty important if you were chosen to deliver a message across time and space!" Tails reassured the man.

Cryptic contemplated the possibility. He smiled with gratitude. "M-most kind."

"So... How do you know who I am? Am I apart of your future?" He took a sip of his tea.

"Oh yes, quite. Y-you are the Lord Chancellor of Anchora. His Imperial Majesty's right hand man, so to speak."

Tails choked on his drink, coughing violently as the liquid spilt from his mouth. Cryptic passed his napkin to the young fox. He nodded a thanks to the badger and wiped his mouth. "That's, uh... That's a big promotion..."

"Y-yes. It is quite a lot to take in. You live within the grand city of A-Anchora, in a workshop, constructed by Her Imperial Majesty and the power of chaos, with your wife, Lady Zoey Prower and your daughter, Minerva. Often called M-Minnie."

Tails froze in shock. Hearing his own future was maddening. He moved from his beloved workshop? He became a chancellor to this emperor and he had a wife and child?!

There were so many questions. Where to begin? "So..." Tails's voice broke as he spoke. Clearing his throat, he took another sip of his tea to get rid of his now dry throat. "This place. Anchora. I haven't heard of it."

"It is just to be established." Cryptic took a sip of his tea. The construction of the city came at devasting lost. Something which the young boy could hear about another time.

Seeing the man was reluctant to answer that particular question, Tails decided to ask another. "I'm guessing I'm pretty close with the Emperor and Empress if they promoted me as chancellor?"

"Very much so. Y-you were best man at the Emperor's wedding. You were there the night of the birth of the first heir, the I-Imperial Prince, Jolt and of course, forever and always, H-his Imperial Majesty's best friend."

Tails raised an eyebrow to this information. If he was this Emperor's best friend, what happened to Sonic? Unless...

"Tails!" Sonic's voice hollared from a distance. The blue hedgehog shot into the living like a bullet, coming to a harsh halt in front of the fox and badger. "You'd never guess what happened?!" Noticing the stunned man next to Tails, Sonic acknowledged his presence. "Oh, uh, hi..." He said awkwardly, feeling startled to see an unexpectedly new face.

Cryptic immediately stood up and bowed before the hedgehog. "Y-your Imperial Majesty."

Sonic stared in amazement yet bewilderment at the badger. "Uh... Sorry, I think you have me mistaken for another blue hedgehog. The name's Sonic."

Tails almost leapt out of his seat after piecing the puzzle together. "Wait! Sonic is your Emperor?!"

Cryptic looked back at Tails. "Y-yes. Had I not mentioned that?" Tails shook his head vigorously in shock. "I-I do apologise."

"What's going on?" Sonic looked at both Tails and the badger.

The advisor stepped forward. "F-forgive me, You-" He stopped himself from addressing the hedgehog incorrectly. He had been given strict instructions to address this Sonic simply as Sonic. "Sonic. My name is C-Cryptic. I have been sent from the f-future by His Imperial M-Majesty to deliver a vital message to you."

"Okay. What's the message?" Sonic crossed his arms.

"Your f-future and the future of t-the Empress are in danger."

Sonic looked over to Tails who was looking right back at him with just as much shock as he was in. The blue leader stammered on his words. "Let's just slow down for a sec... Emperors, Empresses, futures... What?"

Cryptic bowed his head. "Perhaps it is best for you to sit down. May I offer you both a stronger beverage for what you are about to hear?"

Again, the boys exchanged faces. "We're good, really."

The advisor nodded again and gestured the boys to sit down. Once they were seated, Cryptic sat on the armchair adjacent to the sofa. "T-the future as we know it is at risk. It would seem the Eggman f-from this time knows all about t-the history of Her Imperial Majesty and intends to remove her f-from the timeline. I-in doing so, her future and your own, S-Sonic, are in danger."

"Eggman. Why am I not surprised to hear he's behind all this?" Sonic looked to Tails who nodded back at him in agreement. "So, what does this Empress have to do with me? Why does her life affect mine?"

"Her I-Imperial Majesty plays a vital role in all our futures. More s-specifically, yours, Sire-" He stopped himself again. "Sorry. S-Sonic."

Tails turned to Sonic. "I think this Empress is your wife in the future, Sonic..." He jumped slightly at Sonic's quick head turn towards him, followed by a glare. "What? If you're supposedly the Emperor, that obviously makes your wife an Empress."

Wife? Heh, he didn't think so. To have a wife, that involved having a long term relationship with somebody, to propose to that person or to at least accept a proposal. It involved actually showing up to the wedding and confessing in front of a dozen people that he'd be forever bound to one person. Long commitment and heavy responsibility was not on his bucket list.

"I-I reassure you, Si- Sonic. The love y-you and Her Imperial Majesty hold f-for one another is paramount. Blessed by Chaos themselves." Cryptic tried to reassure the hedgehog but was also met with the same glare. He gulped. His Emperor spoke so fondly of his wife. His Rosebud as he often called her. The woman he would often bow before. It was unusual, surreal even to see his younger self resent that fact. "When I first met you, I-I had no idea how much you would end up meaning to me."

"Huh?" Sonic furrowed his eyebrows in his confusion.

"An, uh, insight to your wedding vows. I-I watched your wedding air on t-the television. A tear jerking day it was." Cryptic smiled fondly.

Sonic leaned back in his seat, already unimpressed by what he was hearing. "Is it too late for that drink?" Cryptic stood up and pulled out a flask from his suit jacket. He bowed his head as he offered the alcoholic beverage to the hedgehog. Though originally being sarcastic, Sonic took the flask and placed it on the arm of the sofa next to him. "Who is this Empress anyway? She'd have to be pretty special to get me to sign my life away."

"She is the most important p-person in this world. The last known descendent o-of the ancient clan, known as Vessels of Chaos. Liberator of T-tyranny, the Bringer of Justice and S-salvation. Her Imperial Majesty, Aurielle Paeonia." The boys gawped at him. "You may know her by her mortal name, Amy Rose."

Tails quickly turned to Sonic to see his reaction. For years, he had rejected, denied the pink hedgehog in every possibly way. Hearing he was going to marry her was probably shattering everything he knew about himself. As he expected, Sonic's skin became pale and his quills tensed up, flaring up and stabbing the fabric of the sofa behind him.

"Heh, wait..." Sonic exhaled a shaky breath. "You can't be serious, right?" He looked to his friend to see if he agreed. Tails said nothing. "Nah... nah, you're just playing with us. There's no way I end up marrying Amy! It's Amy, for Chaos sake!"

Cryptic stammered on his words, uncertain how to respond. "I-I have seen it for myself, S-Sonic. Y-you have a future with A-Amy Rose. A prosperous, loving f-future."

"Why? Why her? Of all the women in the world. Why her?"

"Y-you were destined to be Her Imperial Majesty's husband."

Sonic laughed in disbelief. "Destiny has nothing to do with it. I'm not gonna marry her." He gave the advisor a passive aggressive smile, slouching on the sofa and crossing his arms in a tantrum. "See, I've already changed the future. And anyway, if this was real, why didn't I come back and tell myself about what's gonna happen?"

"T-the Eggman of the future s-sealed himself in a cyrogenic tank i-in the near future. The Eggman of t-this timeline must have released him earlier than p-planned and so h-he attacked our city. His Imperial Majesty a-and the freedom fighters are f-fighting him and his r-robot army as we speak."

Sonic shrugged. "So where's the _Bringer of Justice_ in all of this?"

"H-her Imperial Majesty is currently in labour."

The blue hedgehog leaned forward, his spikes flaring even higher. He squeezed his eyes shut, praying he hadn't heard what he thought he had heard. "Please tell me you're talking about some kind of manual labour."

Cryptic was uncertain if he should reply. He blinked at the hedgehog's turmoil. "Her Imperial M-Majesty is expecting twins. S-she had gone into labour just as E-Eggman attacked."

Sonic felt his throat go dry. "T-twins?" His voice broke from his shock.

The advisor nodded. "The twins w-will be an additional t-to the current four heirs."

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Six children?! He and Amy were gonna have six children?! Sonic grabbed the flask off the sofa arm and ripped the cap back before chugging it's contents.

"Maybe we should skip on the children for now..." Tails suggested, watching his best friend chugging down the alcohol.

Cryptic nodded. He picked up a book from the pile and placed it on his lap. "If you w-wish to know anything about t-the Empress's powers, you shall find it in t-these books. This particular book i-is her history." He opened the book to the first page. "The clan of the V-Vessels of Chaos begins thousands of years ago, when the power of the chaos emeralds w-were often exploited by the a-ancient civilisations for the p-purposes of evil. This enraged the Gods and so, to balance t-the good and evil in the world, t-the Master Emerald was created. T-to ensure the safety of the balance, the Gods created the Vessels of Chaos to watch over the world and ensure the p-power of chaos would not b-be used for evil."

Intrigued by the story, Sonic and Tails sat back and watched the man as he spoke of the ancient past.

"It is said t-there are the Vessels and the C-channelers. The Vessels contain the power of c-chaos within them, making them l-like living, breathing chaos emeralds if you will. The C-channelers on the hand have the a-ability to unity the power of c-chaos. To use t-the power when they obtain an e-emerald."

"So that means Knuckles, Shadow, Silver and even you, Sonic, are Channelers?"

Cryptic nodded. "The Channelers and Vessels lived in h-harmony for thousands of years until some clans of the C-channelers felt threatened by the power the Vessels held. With the power of chaos within them, t-they had no need for the c-chaos emeralds and were seen as Gods themselves. So the Vessels w-were hunted and slaughtered. The remaining members went into h-hiding to the island of Mercia."

"Mercia..." Sonic muttered.

"H-her birth name was Aurielle. Around the time of her b-birth, Eggman orchestrated h-his attack on Mercia. To save their n-newborn, her parents, Tynar and Celeste, p-placed their daughter in a basket and teleported her to C-Central City where she was taken in by a c-couple named, uh..." He flicked through the pages to find the adoptive parents of Amy. "Ah, Walter and J-Judy Rose."

This couldn't be real. Amy... Wasn't actually who they all thought she was. She wasn't even who she thought she was. His biggest fan, the hammer wielder. No, she was much more than that. Much more than Sonic could ever have guessed.

"So Amy's what exactly? Some kinda demigoddess or something?" Sonic asked.

Cryptic tilted his head with a look of uncertainty. "H-her Imperial Majesty denounces that title. Despite her birth n-name being Aurielle Paeonia, she h-has chosen to keep her mortal name."

"Mortal name?" Tails questioned the man.

"As the Emperor and Empress as-scended to power, they took on regnal names. A-Amy took her birth name and His I-Imperial Majesty... Well, Sonic remained..."

"Of course." Sonic chuckled. "I don't understand something. Amy is supposed to be this all power demigoddess and yet she marries a mortal channeler and becomes a breeding machine?"

Cryptic was puzzled by Sonic's description of the Empress. "Sh-she denounces her title, her immortality for y-you, Sonic. After all t-the good she has done, Her Imperial M-Majesty has always said her b-biggest achievement was being your wife and m-mother to your children."

He couldn't respond to that. What was to be said after such a devotion from somebody so powerful? He still couldn't wrap his head around everything they had heard. Amy Rose, the mortal Goddess of Chaos?

He needed a stronger drink.

Closing the book, Cryptic left the book in his lap and looked towards the two men. "His Imperial M-Majesty informed me I would arrive t-ten weeks before the great war."

"Whoa, hold on. What war?" Sonic leaned forward once more.

"L-like previously stated, Eggman in-intends on killing Amy Rose. I-in defiance to this, you declare war on the D-Doctor. If he succeeds, the consequences w-will be too great to comprehend."

Sonic looked down at his hands, feeling a heavy amount of pressure falling into them. "Do you know when this is supposed to happen?"

The advisor placed the book on the table and searched through the books in the pile. "Eh, b-bare with me..." He rummaged through the various books until he found the one he was looking for. "Ah!" He placed the book on his lap and scanned through the pages. "T-the great war is set to happen somewhere between September 27th and September 30th. It's around t-this time where her powers truly a-awaken."

"That's days after Amy's birthday." Tails turned to look at Sonic.

Sonic frowned. If he didn't succeed in stopping Eggman, Amy was going to die? But Cryptic was living proof that he would win, right? He was from the future where Amy was alive and thriving. That meant he would keep her safe.

So why did he feel so tense from the pressure?

Getting up from his seat, Sonic's head span slightly from downing the high volume alcohol too quickly without lining his stomach with something to eat. He staggered back slightly before regaining his footing. "Thanks for the warning Crypt. I gotta go and play bodyguard with a demigoddess."

"We should probably warn Amy about what's happening to her and what will happen to her." Tails told the blue hero.

Apart of him understood and agreed with the genius. It was Amy's right to know who she was, her history and what was possibly going to happen to her if he couldn't save her. On the other hand, did he really need to worry her? He'd save her, no problem. Putting fear into her was hardly necessary.

Everything would be fine.

"I'll let her know." Sonic responded rather quickly.

"I-if I may, S-Sonic. Might I suggest I-I pass on the message? As part of m-my mission, I am to warn both of you f-for what is to come." Cryptic nervously added his opinion.

"No sweat. I got this." Sonic shook his hand at the advisor, declining his offer.

"Then m-may I suggest you use t-these books to aid you?" Cryptic gestured his hand to the pile of books.

Again, Sonic shook his hand to the offer. "Trust me, I got it covered."

Tails looked concerned at his best friend. Even if his words sounded confident and reassured, he couldn't help but notice the male's balled, tensed fist. "So, that leaves you ten weeks until the war. I suggest you tell her sooner rather than later. That way, we have more time to prepare her and the team." The fox said in a stern tone.

The fox's tone of voice made Sonic look towards him. It seemed as though he was worried. "Tails. I got this, really." He gave the young boy a reassuring smile. "To keep Amy safe from Eggman and Metal, I'm gonna ask her if I can stay with her until this all blows over. I'm sure that'll keep her happy." He smirked. "I'll keep you posted." He said as he dashed out of the room.

Cryptic quickly stood up and tried to call out to the hedgehog. "T-there's more you need t-to know!" Realising Sonic was now out of sight, the badger sighed and fell back into his chair hopelessly. "Without the light, h-his world became shrouded in darkness."

Tails looked back at the badger and held a concerned expression. Was something going to happen to Sonic too?

In hopes to distract himself and Cryptic from the heavy news, Tails stood up from his seat and smiled. "Well, with Sonic moving in with Amy for a while, you can stay in his room."

Cryptic gasped and squealed with delight. "M-me? In His I-Imperial Majesty's quarters? I-I-I don't know what to say." He smiled brightly. "It w-would be an honour."

Tails smiled at his enthusiasm. "I'll show you to his room."

The badger eagerly followed. In all his years of service to the Empire, this was by far his biggest achievement.

* * *

Bolting from the Mystic Ruins to Station Square, Sonic sped with minor disturbance to his coordination. Ugh, this would be the last time he downed a drink on an empty stomach.

It was muchly needed though. Six children... Six. What was he thinking?! Signing his life away to the girl forever destined to chase him until their final days. Having so many hoglets too. One kid was too many. Six?!

And what about Amy herself? Or Aurielle? What was he supposed to call her now? Aurielle? Her Imperial Majesty? Heck, was he supposed to bow to her whenever he saw her?

This was Amy Rose for Chaos sake! She couldn't be a mortal goddess. A Vessel of Chaos. That innocent girl he had met nearly ten years ago on Little Planet, rocking ill matching tutu and oversized top. She was a Goddess?

His destiny?

What a load of-

Was that chilli dogs he could smell?

He followed the finger licking smell until he came face to face with Amy's front door. His stomach growled, desperate to be filled with the juicy goodness. Oh Amy, she sure loved to spoil him.

Wait. How did she know he'd be back?

Before he could even open the door, he was met with the pink female opening the door to him. "Hi!" She greeted him in a cheery tune.

 _Damn._ He was completely caught off guard. Not just by her ability in knowing exactly when he'd be at her door but by her transformed appearance. Where did he look?

His eyes captured the glistening gemstones in her right ear. Pink and blue ear rings, one above the other. Since when did she pierce her ear? It was bold, daring... Tantalising.

Moving to her quills, he was surprised to see them wavy. He wasn't even aware they could do that. The way they fell passed her shoulders and swayed as she moved. A mature look.

She smiled at him, making him alert to the red, shining lips. She was wearing makeup? Now that he looked closely, her eyelashes were looking dramatically long.

He told himself not to look down. Ordered himself rather. But the white, off shoulder, long sleeved bustier top had enticed him to looked. For the very first time, her cleavage was on show. Was it even right to stare? She wasn't even eighteen for another two months. Mentally scolding himself, he looked down at her white skater skirt with red roses decorated on it. Cute, yet rather short, showing off her long bare legs which he was certain was her intentions.

That girl got him this time. "You, eh, heh..." He found himself stammering over his words. God damnit, why was he suddenly acting like this?! The alcohol from earlier was not helping his vocabulary.

Amy giggled at his lack of words. "I've been waiting for you." She smiled as she stepped out of the way for him to enter. Intrigued, the hedgehog followed her inside. She lead him to the stairs and beckoned him to follow.

 _Don't follow. It's a trap. She's not even eighteen... Wait. We don't even like her that way. What's your problem, man?_ Sonic shook his head to erase his thoughts. Without realising, he had gotten up the steps and was inches away from her. She stood next to a door with a cheerful smile on her face.

 _Sonic. Sonic, listen. You cannot, repeat, cannot do anything with this girl. Don't fall for the trap!_ He stood in front of her, curious and mildly cautious to her intentions. "I have a surprise for you."

 _Don't fall for the trap!_ Opening the door, he found her surprise was... A clean bedroom? This wasn't her bedroom. He turned around to see her bedroom opposite them. Oh, this was her guest bedroom.

"Isn't it neat? I got new sheets and gave it a total makeover." She sounded so proud of herself. "Go ahead. Try it out!" She pointed to the bed, unable to control her giddiness.

Puzzled yet slightly amused by her giddy behaviour, Sonic walked in the room and jumped onto the bed. He sunk into the sheets and mattress. Wow. The mattress on his bed in the workshop was like stone compared to this marshmallow of a bed he was sinking into. He wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to get up. "Wow." He sighed with content. "This is nice. But what's all this about?"

Now Amy was the one to be puzzled. She placed her hand on her hip and gave him dumbfounded look. "You told me you were moving in for awhile. Said you were gonna take over Tails's investigation in finding out if anything strange is happening at night."

No... That was what he was **going** to tell her. How did she know about that?! Sonic sat up on the bed. "When did I tell you that?"

She was about to inform him on the details of when and where until she stopped herself. She appeared to be contemplating to herself when she suddenly displayed horror on her face. "Oh... Oh my gosh!" She covered her face in embarrassment. "Oh no! I must have dreamed it all! I'm so embarrassed!"

Dreamed the future? Like a premonition? Wait, was that what he saw on the footage? Had she seen the future? A power the chaos emeralds was time travel. Was seeing into the future one of her powers?

Sonic chuckled at her turmoil. "Ames, relax. I was gonna ask you about that. Think of it as deja vu or something."

She looked to him with hope filled eyes. "So you are wanting to move in with me?"

"If that's okay with you?"

Overjoyed, the girl jumped up and down in excitement. "Of course you can! Oh Sonic, we're gonna have so much fun!" She jumped onto the bed next to him and hugged him. Her quills fell over his face, delighting his nose to the strawberry scent. She quickly sat up and composed her. "I promise to not get carried away and smother you at every opportunity... Starting right now."

"That's a big promise."

"Hey!" She slapped him playfully. I can control myself you know. I'm not a kid anymore, Sonic."

 _I can see that._ He looked her up and down briefly.

"By the way, I made your favourite food dinner. Thought we'd celebrate you being my roommate." Amy said.

He couldn't help but smile at her efforts. Thanks to her dreams, she had gone all out to impress him on their first day as roommates. Her appearance amplified, bedroom fit for a king and his favourite food to keep him happy.

It left a sour taste in his mouth to know he'd possibly not have her around in moments like these.

No. That wasn't gonna happen.

"Come on. Let's go celebrate."

She nodded back at him and happily followed him back downstairs to enjoy their meal together. There was nothing a chilli dog couldn't fix.


	4. Building Memories

Chapter Four: Building Memories

Following a routine was foreign to the blue leader. Having set times to do something and copying those habits on a daily basis just sounded so... Imprisoning. He didn't know how Amy did it. At 7:00pm, she began stretching and doing strange poses on a mat which she called Yoga. Then at 7:30pm, she was showering. This included her night skincare routine and brushing her teeth.

By 8:10pm, she had gotten dressed into her pyjamas and had already picked out her clothes for the following morning. At 8:25pm, she was on her bed, writing in her diary. She did this until 8:40pm and read a book in bed before lights off at 9:00pm.

It was insane. Watching her obeying to the clock until her rest. As soon as time came for the next task, she abruptly took to the next part of her routine like a robot.

Scary.

So now here he was, lead in the super soft marshmallow of a bed, staring at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. Bored and energised. For a demigoddess, her life was... basic. They were dealing with an individual who had been born with the power of Chaos within her. No chaos emeralds required. A keeper of immense power. Enough power to destroy worlds...

The same individual who stuck to a tight schedule before bed and insisted on sleeping with a plushie of no other than himself.

He chuckled to himself at the thought. He just couldn't get his head around it. Amy Rose... A goddess. Her? And even more shocking than that bizarre fact, his future wife? The mother to his children?

"Bah!" He shook his head violently and turned on his left side to face the door. No. That wasn't apart of his timeline. Any timeline. He was as free as the wind and he intended to stay that way. Thank you to Cryptic for letting him know he was going to make the biggest mistake of his life and settle. The world was too vast and full of opportunity to voluntarily lock himself under ball and chain. Even for a demigoddess.

Though it was quite something, wasn't it? Of all the people in the world. A goddess had chosen him. Denounced her title for him? Returned an equal worship to someone lesser than herself. Humbling. Though if anyone in their team was humble, it had to be her.

A distant white light travelled beneath his bedroom door, immediately catching his attention. That same white light he had witnessed on the camera footage. Was she having one of those clairvoyant dreams?

" **Aaaaaaahhh!** " A piercing scream filled his ears.

Sonic leapt off the bed and darted into the room opposite his own. Bursting through the door, he was met with a blinding light. He blocked the light with his arms over his face. "Amy!" He called out to the girl. With squinted eyes he lowered his arms slightly and focused on the pink female. She was sat up in bed, a look of fear on her face while piercing white came from her wide eyes. She was screaming, breathing erratically as though she was faced with her worse nightmare.

The light from her eyes ceased as soon as she closed her eyes. Sonic dashed beside her and pulled her into his arms before she could fall back onto her pillow. "Amy?"

Slowly opening her eyes, Amy looked around her room, disorientated and panting. She looked up at him, jumping at the sight of him in front of her. "H-he was right there! I saw him right there and-" She looked down at her chest and touched the area of her heart. She inhaled deeply. "That pain... It felt so real."

"Ames, what did you see?"

She sat up beside him, rubbing her chest. "Metal Sonic was stood in front of me, o-on a mountain side? Just me and him. Then I was in front of Eggman and he shot me in my heart with a laser. The darkness... Nothing but darkness..." She looked down at her chest once more. "I could've sworn it was real..." She said with uncertainty.

Sonic held a stern look on his face as he lost himself in thought. If Amy was having clairvoyant dreams, had she seen the future? Was that how she was supposed to die? Getting shot through the heart?

And Metal? He was going to get to Amy too? He was no doubt working for Eggman. If Metal was to get to Amy, it was surely game over. He couldn't let that happen.

"Hey." He spoke in a soothing voice. "It's alright. You just had a bad dream, that's all. Don't worry about it."

Her breathing began to slow down and regulate. "Thanks Sonic. Sorry for waking you. What time is it anyway?" She turned to her nightstand to look at the time on her alarm clock. 11:47pm.

"Don't worry about it." He told her as he got up from her bed. "Can you get back to sleep?"

She looked back at him coyly, trying to play off her fear. "Y-yeah. Of course..."

That was a clear no. The fright was audible in her voice. After dreaming of Metal, she'd no doubt be up most of the night. Good thing he wasn't tired. He raised an eyebrow towards her to break through her coy attitude. "Are you sure?"

A smile twitched onto her lips. "Well... It might take awhile to get back to sleep..." She admitted.

Chuckling softly, Sonic walked over towards the balcony doors and looked through the window up at the night sky. It was a clear night, illuminated by the many visible stars and bright moon above. "Since we're both up, we can always enjoy the scenery above our heads." He looked back at her with a small smile.

Amy gleefully agreed, nodding back at him before throwing her blanket off her body and slipping her feet into her pair of fluffy slippers. She opened the top drawer to her nightstand and pulled out the key to the balcony doors. So that was where she kept the key. Not that it mattered. The doors had already proven to be pathetic barriers.

That reminded him. He had better install a better lock on her door whilst he was staying with her.

Opening the doors to the balcony, Amy walked out onto the balcony and looked up at the sky. She was mesmerised. Glancing at the hundreds of stars that painted a calm, tranquil atmosphere. She could feel herself relaxing just being present in their splendour. A content sigh escaped her lips. "Wow... The sky has always been there, right over my head and yet, it feels like it's the first time I'm seeing it."

Sonic smiled as he joined her on the balcony. He rested his arms against the ledge. "That's because you've slowed down to appreciate it." He looked over at the pink hedgehog and witnessed her starry eyes reflecting her appreciation to the natural beauty in the sky. He found himself mesmerised by the glistening light that reflected in her jade coloured eyes. Who knew jade eyes could compliment the midnight blue so well?

"Do you ever feel like life is passing you by?" She questioned him, snapping him out of his gaze. She turned to face him then regretfully shook her head. "Sorry. Forget I asked." She copied his actions, leaning against the balcony ledge and looking back at the starry sky.

Sonic tilted his head, intrigued by her question. "It's okay. What did you mean?"

She smiled hopelessly and looked down momentarily. "Lately, I've been feeling like I'm strapped to a ball and chain and everyone and everything is racing passed me. I'm trying to run after them but I'm just stuck in place... I don't know. Maybe I've just hit a rut or something. I just can't help but feel like I'm fighting against the clock, you know?"

Sonic looked away from her. Considering what he knew and she didn't yet know, her feelings were definitely appropriate. Her feelings only played into her fate even more. She felt like she was fighting against the clock because her life was fighting against the clock... Was this really happening?

He couldn't bring himself to believe this was really her fate. He had never failed to save her before. There was no way he would fail now.

Yet the signs were there.

The blue hedgehog squeezed his eyes shut, blanking his mind from any doubt. He nudged her gently and forced a smile on his face. "You know what I think?" Amy turned to her crush with curiosity dancing in her eyes. "I think you need an adventure. Get out of your routine, forget planning, schedules, responsibility and consequence. Just live."

"You make it sound like my life is full of dullness." She scoffed playfully.

"Not dull." He looked back at the sky. "Maybe a little too organised." An idea came to mind. If she felt like she was fighting against the clock, why not make the fight an exciting one? "What are you doing in the morning?"

He had lured her attention. "Nothing much? Why?"

"We're going on an adventure. You and me." His eyes looked towards her, catching her surprised expression. He couldn't help but grin. That was probably a wish come true for her.

She stuttered on her words. "W-where are we going?"

"Anywhere. Who knows?" He could see her close to bursting with delight. Her smile was contagious, forcing him to smile just as big as hers.

She breathed out most of her excitement to refrain from smothering the blue hedgehog. "I can't wait!" She turned on her heel to head back into her room. "We can have a picnic and go sightseeing-"

"You're planning." He said, grinning towards the sky.

Amy looked over her shoulder at the blue leader. "Can't I bring some things with us?"

"Like?"

"I don't know... Some food, drinks, a camera."

"You can bring one thing."

She took a moment to ponder. If anything, they could get food and drinks whilst on their adventure. It wasn't like Sonic to offer her one on one time either. It would be nice to savour their moments together before all of this was over and he'd barely give her the time of day. "I'll bring my camera."

"Good choice."

"Oh Sonic. I'm so excited! I don't know if I'll be able to sleep at all now." She twirled on the spot. "Oh, I know! I'll make us both hot chocolates! That'll make us tired."

He turned to face her, leaning his back against the ledge. "Hot chocolate under the stars? Double the treat."

She winked at him. "Coming right up." She walked back through her room to make the hot drinks.

He chuckled at the pep in her walk. How perplexing. A mortal Mobian had such power over a demigoddess. A little proposal of excitement and she was blooming a rainbow of emotions. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way round? Him falling to his knees in worship of her glorious presence?

He looked back to the stars above. Hmm, maybe he wasn't on his knees but he was sure blown away by her glorious presence outshining the stars.

* * *

With his back against the wall and arms crossed, showing his impatience, Sonic waited for Amy to get ready. The girl had awoken long before he did and yet he was still the one waiting for her. While he was still sleeping, Amy had decided to go against his insistence of today being a day of the unknown and carry on with her usual morning routine.

So to punish her, he was continuously making her feel the pressure to get ready. "Ugh! How much longer..."

Bothered by his incessant moaning, Amy threw her her shoes at him. "I'm nearly ready!"

"Alright. There's no need for violence." He snickered. "It's 9:30am. How much longer are you gonna be?"

Amy knelt down and tied her shoes. "Weren't you ever taught to not rush a lady?"

"Ye~ah... Only I'm not waiting on a lady."

She shot up from her kneeling position and playfully punched his arm. "You hog!" She smirked.

Sonic rubbed his arm where she had punched him and chuckled. "Actually, with a punch like that, maybe you are a lady." He laughed even harder as her face showed her shock and then her offended yet playful expression. He held up his arm to block her incoming punches whilst laughing.

"You're lucky I love you so much." She huffed. She grabbed her camera off the coffee table and wrapped the strap around her neck. "Right. Now I'm ready!"

He evaluated her outfit of choice. Red tank top and denim shorts. Perfect for warm weather. He would have to avoid the chillier locations. He looked down at her red and white running shoes. Ideal for his favourite thing to do.

There was just one thing.

The blue hedgehog held out his hand to the pink female. "The camera, please."

Amy was surprised to see him taking back the one thing he told her she could bring. "But you said I could bring it..."

"You can. I'm gonna keep it safe. You can't run with that camera bouncing across your chest."

She looked down at the camera and then smirked at him. "Why not? You afraid I'll distract you?"

He could feel his face heating up. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're calling me a pervert."

"Maybe. That would explain why you're blushing." She giggled as his blush deepened.

"Just give me the camera!" He looked away from her as he succumbed to defeat of her flirtatious banter. Why was he so easily nerved by her flirting? She had been flirting with him for years and he still hadn't built up a mechanism against her. Maybe he was going for the wrong tactic. Perhaps it was better to fight fire with fire.

This was Amy he was dealing with. It was hardly playing with fire, so to speak.

He would have to remember that for next time.

She placed the camera in his hand. "Thanks." He placed the camera in his back quills. "Oh, nearly forgot." He dashed away momentarily before returning with a red, hooded jacket and putting it on.

Amy watched him in bemusement as he put on the jacket. "Y-you... You own clothes?"

"Yeah? Why? Is that surprising?"

"Just a bit..."

"You prefer me without clothes?"

Now she was the one blushing. Wow, who knew making someone blush at your expense could be so fun? He would have to keep that in mind.

Pleased enough with her bashful behaviour, Sonic opened the door and escorted the girl out the house. He waited for her to lock the door and picked her up. Together, the pair raced down the path and headed to nowhere in particular.

"Do you know where you're headed?" Amy asked, looking up at the blue hedgehog.

"Don't focus on where we're going. Focus on the journey getting there." He responded, his eyes focused entirely on the path ahead.

She followed his gaze. Streaks of green and blue passed her eyes, seemingly blending together as the strong winds pelted them. A hue of turquoise with traces of dirt yellow from the pathway and specks of red, pink and orange from passing flowerbeds.

"Wow..." She was amazed and astounded. How many times had she been in his arms, faced with the wind? Many times. Yet she couldn't recall seeing such vivid colours. It was as if nature had offered a pallette and with it, Sonic created this masterpiece that he wished to share with her.

He was a heck of an artist.

To her dismay, Sonic came to a halt in a wheat field. The gentle breeze swaying the tall grains delicately. She ran her hand across the top of the strands of wheat, contently smiling as they tickled her palm. "This field looks endless." She looked towards the distance, seeing more and more fields of golden yellow until a thick forest could be seen afar.

"I know. More for us to run through." He smiled.

She looked to him curiously. "But why here? This field is thick with wheat."

He stood close to her, looking at the fields over her shoulder. "The sun is shining on the fields. Just look at them. Did you see the colours on the way here? Can you imagine what you'll see here?"

When he put it like that, the urge to run was overpowering. "I wanna see it."

"Then go for it."

She tapped the heel of her shoe against the ground and prepared herself to run. Determined, she took off into the field. The strands of wheat tickled her as she passed them, brushing lightly against her arms and legs. She giggled at the sensation. Did Sonic feel the same at his speed?

Where was he anyway? She assumed he would be right next to her. She turned back to find him right where they started, camera in hand and looking through the lens. Oh, he was capturing the moment. "Enjoying the view, Sonic?" She smiled back at him, twirling around in the midst of the wheat.

"Are you?" He retaliated with another question. She wasn't entirely sure if he was referring to her looking at him or the overall experience. Both were equally pleasing to the eye. Not wanting to miss a moment, she smiled at the camera and twirled back to the field, running through the golden strands once more.

She felt elevated. Free from her daily life and inversed in this stunning world of beautiful colours. The sun illuminated the wheat, filling her eyes with a gold shine. She wasn't even close to the speed Sonic could go. She wondered what the colours looked like in his eyes.

The world around her began to pass her faster than before, blending the colours of the golden fields with the bright blue sky. The winds were picking up, flowing through her hair in a carefree nature. "This is amazing, Sonic!" She told her crush. She looked up in hopes to find Sonic holding her. Odd, he wasn't there. How was she going so fast?

A streak of blue caught the corner of her eye. Looking to her side, she found Sonic running next to her. He seemed somewhat surprised yet there was tint of amusement in his eye. Wait... Was she running the same speed as him?!

The once far away forest was now just ahead. Amazing. She really was speeding at high levels! God she had never felt so alive! The euphoric high keeping her buzzing and the mixture of colours in her eyes left her wanting to run forever. Oh yes, seeing the world in Sonic's eyes was the best way to view the world.

"We're heading through the thicket." Sonic warned her, speeding up to overtake her. Amy nodded back at him and braced herself for the sturdy trees and thick roots creating obstacles on the mossy path. Sonic looked over his shoulder at the pink hedgehog. She was running close to his current speed. Interesting. She had always been faster than the average Mobian. She had to be to keep up with him. But this level of speed was breathtaking. This must have been chaos at play again. Obliging to her thoughts of running at his level. To see what he could see.

Judging by that ability alone, her powers were limitless.

"Woohoo!" Amy cheered as she raced through the dense forest, quills flying back wildly and free. He chuckled at her spirit. Her feelings of being chained were probably long forgotten. It was a pleasurable sight to see. Breaking free. Freedom itself.

The clearing was just ahead. A breaking in the thicket where the sun shown heavily through, revealing a glimpse of a grass covered hillside. A hillside with a end. "Watch out, Ames!"

Amy had been so taken away by her speedy abilities, the colours of nature and the euphoric feeling of freedom, she hadn't heard what he had said. She shot through the thicket like a dart. He raced after her, witnessing her coming to a harsh halt at the edge of a cliff. She looked down, seeing the ocean beneath crashing against the rocky cliff side.

She kept her head down at the view below and closed her eyes to fully listen to the sounds of the crashing waves. The sounded blended well to the gentle sound of the breeze in the trees. There was a faint sound of birds tweeting above their heads. She looked up to see little flickies flying passed. She smiled brightly towards them and waved. "I hope you have a wonderful adventure!" She called out to the birds, giggling with content. "I feel so alive!" She declared with pride. She turned to face the blue hedgehog "Thank you, Sonic. Thank you for all of this!"

"Glad you're having fun."

"The best fun! I feel like I can do anything and it's all thanks to you." She danced around merrily. "There's no place on Mobius I'd rather be than here, with you, right now." She twirled around in front of him, stopping inches away from him.

He could feel her warmth radiating from her against his exposed chest. Regrettably, his eyes looked down at the distance between their chests, only to be met with her cleavage inches away from pressing against him. He immediately brought his eyes back to her eyes. That wasn't any better. Her jade eyes were practically dancing in bliss, causing him to find himself getting lost in them. She had the most beautiful eyes. Such a deep green compared to his own. So captivating.

Getting lost in her eyes must have been giving off the wrong signals. Before he could bring himself back from his trance, he could feel a new kind of warmth on his lips. His body jolted slightly to the foreign sensation, followed by the streams of shockwaves coursing through him. It was a good feeling. A pleasurable kind of feeling. What was this? What was happening?

His eyes focused on his surroundings. Her bangs were brushing against his forehead, cheeks attracting in their heat. Her lips on his. Stunned, he could barely move. He simply stood there, probably idiotically wide eyed and stiff. Amy on the other hand looked somewhat professional in how she wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him tenderly.

Damn her lips were soft. Very warm too. He found himself drifting in a state of bliss. A plain of elevation and ecstasy. One he wasn't ready to draw away from. He closed his eyes and immersed himself in the feeling. In her.

His arms laced around her waist and he began to kiss back. Amy brought her arms around his neck, bringing them closer. What a feeling. He was ecstatic and yet relaxed. Such contradicting emotions and yet here he was. Who knew he could feel such a way?

Amy broke the kiss, opening her eyes slowly as she backed away from him. Now gaining some sense after her high, she blinked at him for a moment before backing away, embarrassed and somewhat ashamed of her actions. She had promised not to smother him and yet she had threw herself on him in her state of bliss. She bit her lip out of guilt.

Though he must have enjoyed it enough to return the affection.

Turning back towards the sound of the crashing waves, she had an idea. A stupid, illogical idea. She wanted to feel that high again. That invincible high. "Wanna do something stupid?"

Pleased to have miraculously avoid the conversation of that kiss, Sonic entertained her enquiry. "Like what?"

She walked back slowly towards the edge of the cliff. "This." She said as she jumped backwards, off the cliff.

"Amy!" Sonic leapt forward to grab her but she had already jumped off the cliff side. He quickly looked down to see her falling from the great height. "What have you turned her into, Sonic?" He asked himself before spin dashing off the edge and falling to her aid.

The pink hedgehog looked up at him with a devious smile on her face. This was a whole new Amy he was witnessing. Far different to the goodie girl with an infatuation, the girl with a strict routine and full of responsibility. She was daring, fearless and free. She was proving to be full of surprises lately.

He reached out for the girl. They were getting closer to the ocean. If he didn't get her on time, they'd both fall in the water and most likely get swept away by the tide. He spin dashed towards her and then stretched his arms out to grab her. They were heading straight for the crashing waves. "Brace yourself!" He shouted to her as she was seconds away from falling into the water.

She reached out for him. They were so close and yet not close enough. Realising their dilemma, Amy squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for the violent waves.

"Amy!"

Suddenly, a portal opened up beneath her, on the surface of the waves. Sonic gasped at the sight and smiled with relief. He reached out a far as he could and grabbed her hand, pulling her close to him as they fell through the portal. The waves splashed over the portal right before it could close.

The hedgehogs fell from the air. Noticing the the concrete floor awaiting them, Sonic flipped positions with the girl, landing on his back with Amy landing on his chest. Sighing a sigh of relief, Sonic slumped back against the cobble stone beneath him. His relaxation was short lived when he saw the incoming ball of water heading towards them. "Whoa!" He grabbed the pink hedgehog and dashed out of the way. The water crashed into the ground, splashing violently against the walls and flowing down the street.

Amy laughed at their luck. "Great thinking, Sonic. Good thing you came up with a solution to my silly idea." She praised him.

He turned to her with a raised eyebrow. What solution? Was she talking about that portal? Yeah, speaking of that portal, that was probably another power of hers. How many was that now? Clairvoyant dreams, superspeed and dimension manipulation.

Still, telling her it was her that had teleported them where they stood without further context was probably not a good idea. "Oh, yeah... Chaos emeralds had a bit of an upgrade since that light show the other day..." He lied, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. Looking around at the familiar area, Sonic furrowed his eyebrows with uncertainty. "Huh, I recognise this place."

"Spagonia!" Amy gasped. "Oh I love this place! It's so romantic here."

"Wow. We teleported pretty far then." Sonic said, looking around at the orange top homes. They must have been in the backstreets. It was currently dark in Spagonia. The streets were lit yet quiet. A perfect setting for a walk around the city. He got her attention by pulling on her shoulder. "Let's see what's happening 'round here."

She delightfully agreed, linking her arm in his and walked with Sonic through the city. It was rather peaceful. A few people sharing their idea to go for a walk and some others sitting on the numerous tables outside Restaurant Swa. An accordion played in the background to their little tour around the city, pleasing the pink hedgehog.

"This adventure has been the best ever! And you've surprised me a lot today, Sonic." Amy looked around at the buildings as she spoke.

Sonic looked towards the distracted girl. "What do you mean?"

"Your abilities with the chaos emeralds. I mean, making me run as fast as you and then getting us teleported all the way here. Impressive, if not a little showy."

He chuckled. "I think you're the one with the surprises." He gulped at his words. Crap. Maybe he said too much. He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "You know... The sudden daredevil came alive."

She blushed. "Guess I'm just breaking free. It was highly needed. I would have been wasting away at home if you hadn't taken me out. Thank you."

"No worries. We still have the rest of the day to go... Or night..."

"We'll regret travelling all the way here when we go sleep tonight... or in the morning..." She shook her head in confusion. The pair chuckled at the time zone dilemma before the sound of Sonic's beeping communicator distracted them.

Sonic looked down at his communicator and saw Tails's name popped up on the small screen. Ugh great. He knew why he was calling. He was going to ask if he had told Amy everything. It had only been a day! He had ten weeks to tell her. Why worry her now and leave her feeling it was her vs time?

Reluctantly, he answered the call. "Sonic here."

Amy pointed to the nearby food stand. "I'm gonna wait in line." She whispered to him as she walked away from him. He nodded back to her and listened to what Tails had to say.

"Hey Sonic. What's happening?"

"Not much. Just out and about..."

Tails hesitated in his reply. "Have you left Amy at home?"

"No. She's with me." He looked over at the girl. She was mouthing something to him. She pointed to the menu on the front of the stall. "One sec, Tails." He lowered the comminicator. "Pepperoni."

"What?" The fox asked. "Sonic?"

The hedgehog bought the communicator back near his lips. "Sorry. Getting pizza."

"Where are you two?"

"Spagonia."

"Wha- How did you get there?!"

"Dude, don't sound too surprised. You're talking to the fastest guy around here. It's like a ten minute run to get here." He looked to the pink hedgehog who was still waiting in line for the pizza slices. With her out the way, he could bring up the conversation of her powers. "Only... We got here by teleportation."

"Really? What happened?"

Sonic could feel his cheeks once again heating up as he reminisced on the run they had earlier, having finished that with a spontaneous, guilty pleasured kiss. It was no big deal. Too friends getting caught up in the moment of excitement and expressing said excitement. That could've happened with any one of his friends. The fact that this particular friend had openly romantic feelings towards him meant nothing.

In fact, he'd kiss her a dozen times just for the thrill alone. Feelings had nothing to do with it.

"Sonic?"

Oh, right. He had been so busy trying to convince himself, he didn't actually explain anything. "We went for a run. I don't know what she did but I'm guessing Amy wished to run as fast as me. The next thing I know, she's running at my speed! Then we ki- Jumped off a cliff and she opened a portal to Spagonia... Now we're getting pizza."

"Sounds like her powers are getting stronger. Which brings me to my question. Have you told her about her powers? Well, about everything?" Sonic took a while to respond. "Sonic?"

"Well... Not yet but-"

"Sonic. We left this to you so it would be dealt with as soon as possible."

"Chill out, man. Everything will be fine. I promised you that. Leave it to me."

"Alright... But just remember, the sooner you tell her, the more time we'll have to prepare." He ended the call, leaving Sonic exasperated. That fox was all about mission protocol. Didn't he realise they were dealing with potential death. You don't just come out with that stuff out of nowhere. How did he expect him to deliver that information? Thank her for dinner and add the whole _by the way, you're gonna die soon_?

She approached him with a piece of pizza wrapped in a napkin. "Pepperoni pizza. Added extra mozzarella on yours since I thought you'd like it."

"You know me too well." He took the pizza off her and bit a chunk off. He breathed out heavily after burning his tongue. "Hot. Hot!" He said with his mouth full.

Amy laughed. "It just came out the oven!"

"I didn't know that! I was busy talking to fox boy."

She blew on her slice of pizza as they began to walk. "Is he okay?"

He didn't want to have that particular conversation with her. Today was a day of carefree. Tails, though not intentionally, had been a mood killer in his talk about his responsibilities. He said he'd tell her. He didn't tell him when. "Oh just plane stuff."

"He sure loves his plane." Amy bit a piece of her olive and pepper pizza.

"Yeah. Too much. I'm sure he's gonna marry it."

She shrugged. "Eh, maybe. As long as I'm bridesmaid, I say to the happy couple." She looked towards the fountain, outside the university. "We should get a picture together! I can't remember when we last had a picture together."

"Good point." He pulled the camera out and stood next to her. "Say pizza!"

"Pizza!" They cheered. They pulled various faces and poses, laughing as they looked back on the pictures they had taken. Sonic took a picture of the pair biting into their pizzas. While he was aggressive, Amy ate hers delicately.

"That's how you eat a pizza?" He smirked at her.

"Sorry I don't eat like a savage."

He faked a scowl towards her. "What did you call me?"

Seeing his unknowingly fake scowl, she backed away from him nervously. "Nothing."

"You think I'm a savage?" He questioned her, a smirk appearing on his face as he walked towards her.

"N-no..." She giggled nervously and somewhat out of fright.

"I'll show you savage!" He ran at her, making her run away from him, laughing and squealing. She looked over her shoulder at the hedgehog racing after her, seeing the devious grin across his lips. She ran back down the back streets and hid in the alley, hoping he'd dash passed her.

Unbeknownst to Amy, Sonic was right above her on a rooftop. He jumped down and landed in front of her. She shrieked at the sight of him. "Gotcha!" He declared, tickling her middle section.

"I'm sorry!" She squealed through her laughter. She tried to push his hands away from her but her laughter left her too weak to stop him. Overwhelmed by his tickling, she lost her footing and slumped against the wall. Sonic grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to avoid her falling. Her laughter slowly died down as their eyes met, getting lost in his eyes like he had in hers.

She told herself to refrain from kissing him again. Last time had been a moment of madness after the high. No matter how irresistible he was to her and how close he was, she couldn't scare him off with her advances.

Smiling sheepishly, Amy moved away from the blue hedgehog. "I'm sure the stars will shine brighter away from the city. Do you want to star gaze again?"

Snapping out of his trance, Sonic nodded at the girl and scooped her up into his arms. He ran out of the city and headed into the rural area, blanking his mind to that little moment in the alley.

* * *

Resting on the banks of a vast lake, the hedgehog's watched the scenery of the moon shining over the water. The ripples making the light dance on the water's surface, creating a silent performance for the pair to watch.

Amy sighed contently and rested her head against the grass. "Today was amazing."

Sonic copied her, resting his hand behind his head. "Yeah. It was pretty great."

She turned over on her side to face him. Despite not wanting to scare him off, she knew she had crossed boundaries and it was important to know where they both stood after their kiss. "S-Sonic..."

"Hmm?" He looked towards her.

"About what I did. Kissing you and all... I'm sorry." She bit her lip nervously. "I know I promised to not smother you but you need to know that I was just ecstatic after the run and I got too excited and got carried away and-"

Sonic stopped her before she got carried away in her rambling. "Don't sweat it, Ames. It was a moment of madness. 'Sides, today is a day without consequences. Let's just forget about it."

Apart of her was relieved to hear that their relationship wasn't about to change after she got carried away. On the other hand, she couldn't help but feel disappointed to hear he hadn't felt anything from that kiss. It was their first kiss. A magical, romantic moment. Guess it was all one sided.

Still, she wasn't going to let the day of carefree be destroyed by caring too much. She sighed contently once more and looked back at the sky. "I don't want this day to end. Going back to normality after all this will be difficult."

"Why does it have to end?" She looked back at him, intrigued by his question. "I mean, why not live life to the fullest on a daily basis?"

She wasn't sure how to answer him. There wasn't anything really stopping her other than herself. Why didn't she live on the edge a little more?

"How about we make the most of our time as roommates? Live life the best we can." _While we still can..._ He mentally slapped himself for thinking such a thought.

"You know, you're right. I want to live like tomorrow is my last day!" She grinned mischievously as a thought came to her head. "There is something I've always wanted to do..."

"What?"

She got up and began to take off her socks and shoes. "You may want to look away for this." She grinned at him as she walked behind him, out of his sight. Curious, he tried to look back at her but was immediately scolded. "No looking."

"Sorry." He chuckled. He decided to close his eyes and think back on his actions that day. How he had kissed her back and got a little too close in the alleyway in Spagonia City. He hoped his irresponsible actions didn't add fuel to her burning passion for him though he fear that was already the case.

**SPLASH!**

Instantly sitting up and looking over at the lake, he found Amy facing away from him, knelt down in the water. It covered her mid section, hiding her more intimate areas. Was she... Was she naked?

He looked behind him to find a pile of her clothes on the grass. His mouth dropped open. That was a very daring move.

"Sonic! Come join me!" She splashed around in the water.

"Nuh, uh. I'm good." He declined. She of all people knew he wasn't going to willingly thread water. Not even for a naked girl...

Then again...

"Come on! It's actually rather warm." She shuffled further into the water. "Isn't today supposed to be a day without consequences? Without logic?"

She got him there. "Alright, I'm coming." He removed his attire, making sure to remove the camera from his quills. He walked towards the lake, hesitating to go in. "I-it's, uh, not that deep, right?"

"Can't you tell?" She turned to face him, proudly stood before him while au natural. He looked away instinctively, not wanting to be disrespectful or receiving a hammer to the head for staring. "You can look, Sonic." Her reassurance made him gradually look back at her. "I was just teasing you before. If anyone is allowed to see me naked, it's you."

He couldn't fight an invitation like that. His eyes feasted on her. Wow. All the beauty they had witnessed from the night before, until right now, she truly outshined them all. The moonlight peered over her, enveloping her in a divine aura. And her body... He must have looked like a pervert now. He was captivated by her.

"Are you coming in or do you need a little persuasion?" She walked towards him slowly.

"Huh?" He snapped out of his trance and watched her approach him. She grasped his hands and slowly pulled him into the water. She was right about the warm water. At least this water didn't include crashing waves. They moved into the water until the water covered their midsections. Huh, it wasn't too bad so far.

**Splash!**

The water soaked his chest as Amy splashed him. He gasped loudly, making her laugh hysterically. "Did you see your face!" She laughed even harder.

Sonic growled at the pink hedgehog. "Oh. So that's how we're playing. Okay then, take this!" He splashed her back, she covered her face whilst giggling. Back and forth, the hedgehog's splashed one another, running from each other to avoid getting splashed.

The temperature fell as time passed. Feeling the cold, the hedgehogs ran out of the water to get their clothes. "That's something to tick off the bucket list." Sonic said, shaking off as much water as he could.

"Totally! Definitely tops jumping off a cliff in terms of boldness." Amy responded.

"Really? I think cliff diving with nothing to protect you is pretty ballsy."

She giggled at his comment. "I had you. You always protect me _._ "

 _Yeah. Hopefully..._ He looked down at the ground. "Amy?"

"Yes?"

"Do you really believe I'll always be there to protect you?" He gave her an unintentionally solemn look. That particular look made her feel uneasy.

"Yeah I do. Why?"

Her blind devotion to him was both reassuring and terrifying. If she believed in him, he couldn't fail her. There was no opportunity to falter. He had to keep her safe. "Nothing. Just know that I'll protect you. No matter what." His serious face left her wary of his reasoning.

She felt herself blush at his declaration. "T-thank you." She smiled bashfully at the blue hedgehog before looking away sheepishly. Her eyes focused on the camera, making her smile more confidently. "Let's take another picture."

"Whilst you're naked?" He mentally cursed at himself for blushing.

"Why not? The body is an art form, not just a sexualised thing." She picked up the camera and stood next to the blue hedgehog. "Smile!"

The pair smiled for the camera and snapped the shot. Pleased with their picture, they began to get dressed. Amy shivered as the temperature got colder. "I should have brought a jacket along."

"Why do you think I brought mine?" Sonic wrapped the jacket around the girl's shoulders.

She expressed her gratitude with a smile. "Thank you. For everything." She held onto the jacket around her shoulders as they began to walk.

"Don't thank me just yet. We have a whole load of memories to make!"

"Wait..." She paused. "You actually want to make these memories with me?" She gawped at him.

"Why not? We're best pals, aren't we?"

"We are?"

Sonic pretended to feel hurt by her questioning their relationship. "Of course! I thought we were in mutual agreement to that!"

"I thought Tails was your best friend?" She enquired innocently.

"He is..." Sonic rubbed the tip of his nose. "Okay. How about being my best girl friend-" Sonic stuttered on his mislabeling. "Uh, no. Not _girl_ friend but a friend who is a girl. Best _female_ friend."

She giggled at his blunder, causing him to blush like many times that day. "I can live with that title. Not girlfriend, girl friend." She yawned abruptly.

"Aw. Is somebody due a nap?" He smirked. She glared at him before another yawn escaped her. "Let's head back."

"I'm guessing my night time routine isn't gonna happen today." She mumbled, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"No way!" He chuckled as he took her in his arms and raced back across the continents back to Amy's house.

In the time that he had with her, he vowed to give her the best memories possible. He knew he couldn't fail her.

But if she slipped away, he would always have this special time with her.


	5. You and Me, TLC

Chapter Five: You and Me, TLC

Sat on the edge of his bed, Sonic found himself once again unable to sleep. There were too many thoughts racing through his mind. Thoughts of his future, Amy's future and the inevitable war.

Two months. He had exactly two months. Eight weeks as Tails kept telling him. With every passing day, he was given a message, a call or a visit from the fox, insisting he should follow his word and tell the girl everything she needed to know. Sonic would say the usual. That he'd tell her when the time was right and that he intended to keep his promise to the fox and badger. Like he had stated before, he had told Tails he would tell her, he never mentioned when.

Besides, the last two weeks were filled with too much excitement to throw the gloomy topic in. Like she had told him at the lake, Amy really was living life like it was her last day. Everyday brought something new. Be it a whole day of adventure and exploring or simply trying out something small, it was great to see the girl really enjoying what life had to offer.

Whilst she still had the chance.

Eugh. Why did he keep thinking like that? He could save her, he **will** save her.

Speaking of saving her, when was Metal going to show up?

It wasn't like he wanted the bolt bag to appear. If anything, his lack of appearance was highly reassuring. Yet it was also highly suspicious. Did he know he was staying with her? Had he come to his senses and realised he was being a creeper? Probably not.

What if he had been showing up and he hadn't been aware of it? While he had replaced the locks on her balcony doors, he still didn't think that would be enough to protect her. He needed to be closer to her. To watch her from close by.

Sonic hopped out of bed and opened the door to his bedroom. He carefully closed the door behind him and too extra care in opening hers. Looking over at the pink hedgehog, he was pleased to see her sleeping peacefully with her little Sonic plushie beside her. A little version of him was enough to keep her dreams peaceful at least.

He made his way over to the right side of her bed and gently opened the nightstand drawer for the new key to the balcony doors. He took the opportunity to check the time on her alarm clock. Hmm, 01:43am. If Metal was to make an appearance, he'd be with them soon. After successfully obtaining the key, he turned to the balcony doors and opened them, allowing himself access to the mildly chilly summer night. He closed the doors behind him and took refuge in the balcony ledge, resting his head against the brick wall. It may not have been marshmallow soft like his temporary bed but there was something quite special about sleeping under the stars.

He closed his eyes and waited for the potential, unwelcomed arrival of Metal. A good old fight was just what he needed to help him get to sleep. With Eggman also not making an appearance, he had a lot more energy to spare. A scrap with Metal would probably sent Eggman the right message too. Nobody messes with his future wife and gets away with it.

 **Friend**. Forever friend.

Just as he expected, his metal doppelganger showed himself. Sensing his presence, Sonic opened one eye and witnessed the robot hovering a few feet away from him, staring at him with scorned red eyes. His metallic fingers clenched into balled fists and shook at the sight of Sonic.

"I was wondering when you were gonna show up. Heard you've been getting a little too close to Amy. Don't you know it's creepy to spy on girls?" The hedgehog tutted to the robot. He fell from the side of the balcony and landed on his feet below. "I guess I'm gonna have to teach you a lesson." He cracked his knuckles as he taunted Metal. The robot made a clanging noise at him and lowered himself onto the ground. Sonic grinned, positively beaming with adrenaline. "Alright! Let's do this!"

The blue hedgehog charged at the robot, dodging the plasma beams being sent his way. He attempted to kick him but was blocked by a metal arm. Metal returned the move, kicking Sonic in the abdomen and sending him airborne into the air. Metal followed, rising into the air and locking on target. Sonic flipped over to see Metal aiming at him and quickly responded with a spin dash. He span around in the air, forming a whirlwind around the robot. Metal span around violently in the whirlwind, also spin dashing to free himself.

"You really didn't see that coming? And here I thought you knew me so well." Sonic laughed as he watched the robot struggle to break free.

Enraged, Metal force pushed the winds away from him, backfiring the gusts of wind back at the blue hedgehog. Sonic braced himself for the heavy winds but was sent flying back against a tree. He fell to the floor, his back getting ripped open by the rough bark as he dropped. "Shit!" He gritted his teeth through the pain.

He didn't have much time to recuperate as Metal was charging for him. Sonic jumped to his feet and ran through the trees, hoping the minor camouflage would be enough to create a gap in the chase. To his surprise, his robotic counterpart began to laser through the trunks of the trees, slicing the thick trees in half. The blue leader dodged the falling trees and darted out of the thicket, onto the path. He stopped running and turned back to Metal, preparing himself for a fight.

Metal darted towards Sonic and collided into him at great impact, creating a dust cloud around them. The two fought mercilessly, brawling one another to near exhaustion.

He had certainly gotten a lot stronger. Even when he was putting all his strength into his attacks, Metal matched his force easily. Not that he expected any less. This robot knew his every move. If only he had all the chaos emeralds, he could finish him in no time.

Metallic fists came his way, causing the blue hedgehog to dodge the attacks, just barely, by quickly moving his head out the way. The force of the punches cracked the ground below. Using brute strength, Sonic shoved his metal doppelganger off of him and kick him hard, hauling him into the distance. He scraped across the floor, bouncing and rolling before he dug his fingers into the ground and gripped hard.

Metal rose from the ground, watching the blue hedgehog's movements. He was heading his way, ready for another attack. The robot looked over to the house in the distance. With Sonic no longer protecting Amy, this was his chance to get her. He took off towards the house, leaving Sonic in a moment of confusion.

The blue blur followed Metals movements until he realised where he was headed. "No." He breathed out. "Amy!" He raced to get back to the sleeping girl. Metal couldn't get to her first. He couldn't allow that to happen. Her future, his future. It would all be over.

Sensing Sonic was hot on his trail, Metal sped up, darting straight for the girl's balcony. Sonic also picked up speed, rushing to the sleeping Amy's aid. His heart was competing with his feet as he looked up to Metal with fear in his eyes. The robot was too far ahead. Panicked, the hedgehog cried out to the girl in hopes to wake her and alert her of the incoming danger. "Amy!"

**Boom!**

Metal crashed into an invisible force field. His collision with the force field caused it to visibly appear around the house. An illuminating green barrier that protected the sleeping hedgehog within. Sonic watched as Metal was propelled into the distance at high speed. That crash alone had done more damage than he had managed to invoke upon that pile of metal.

"You really are full of surprises, Amy." Sonic rubbed his nose, relieved to know she was safe.

He suddenly winced. With the adrenaline fading, the stinging pain from the cuts on his back was made apparent. Carefully, he made his way back to the house and stood in front of the force field, highly cautious. After seeing what it had done to Metal, he really didn't want to suffer the same fate. His hand slowly raised to hover over the barrier. The chaos energy was strong, no wonder Metal deflected from it like a rubber ball to a hard surface.

Letting out a tensioned breath, he moved his hand into the force field. He was surprised to see his hand go straight through it. Ah, this was Amy's doing. The force field must have acknowledged him as her friend and expelled the foes. Stepping through the force field, Sonic staggered his way back to the house. The pain he was bearing was becoming more and more intolerable. With every step, he felt his legs threatening to collapse. He needed to get to her. Just as long as she was okay, that was all that mattered.

He stopped under her balcony. The front door would have been locked and of course he never carried his spare key to her house around with him. He could've smacked himself for his stupidity. Why bother having a key if he never used it? Sighing to himself, he gathered the strength to jump up onto her balcony and made his way inside. She was fine. Thank Chaos. The girl was still, surprisingly, fast asleep. How could she sleep to the sound of a battle and falling trees?

No matter. She was okay. That was the main thing.

Sonic tried to walk back to his room when his head began to spin. He staggered back, timing rightly with his aching joints to finally give way. The male collapsed to the floor, his vision darkening as he slipped out of consciousness and gave in to his exhaustion.

* * *

_Sonic! Sonic, can you hear me?! Sonic!_

The cries of the pink female aroused him out of his deep slumber. Opening his eyes, he was met with a fearful, teary eyed Amy hovering over him. Why was she so upset? He couldn't even remember what happened? Looking around the room, he realised he was on her bedroom floor. How did he end up here?

Oh. That's what happened. He battled with Metal, went to check on Amy and then passed out. Huh, it was kind of amusing really. Even when the battle involved falling trees, crashing and slamming of both hedgehog and robot and even him collapsing just feet away from her, the girl had slept right through it all.

"Sonic? Are you okay?" Amy asked frantically. "Where does it hurt? Don't panic! I'll get the medic pack!" She was about to get up from his side and get the supplies to heal him when he grabbed her wrist.

"Ames. I'm fine. Are you okay?" His voice was hoarse.

"Fine? You call this fine? Your back is covered in blood and you have open gashes! What happened?!"

Sonic slowly sat up, gritting his teeth to the aching, stinging pain all over his body. "Nothing much. Just got into a fight with Metal-" He stopped himself from mentioning her worse enemy's name. She didn't need to know what that creep had been doing. "-Robots. Eggman's metal robots. A lot of them."

"My poor hero." She got up and looked down at him. "Stay right there, I'll get you fixed up." She left the room and went to get her medical kit.

"Don't have to worry about that..." He groaned at his pain. Metal had really done some damage on him. The gashes in his back stung intensely. His achy joints coming in close on the palpometer. With any luck, the projection inflicted on Metal by that force field Amy had unknowingly created was enough to keep that bolt brain away for awhile until he could recover.

Hopefully he'd recover before the war.

Just then, Sonic felt a overpowering surge of energy fill him. The pain he had just been enduring had been lifted. Confused, the hedgehog looked down at his body and moved his once aching legs, shocked yet overjoyed to not feel that achy pain anymore. "No way!" Sonic gasped. He jumped to his feet and examined himself in Amy's mirror. "Heh, no way! I'm feeling better already!" He checked himself out. "Looking good, Blue Man!" He grinned at his reflection. He turned around to look at his back. Wow, the gashes were gone too. Wait, so Amy had done this too?

"Oh. You've healed yourself?" She questioned him as she appeared in the doorway and saw his now restored body. "Wow. The chaos emeralds sure had a big upgrade, didn't they?"

_I think you're the one with an upgrade, Ames..._

"Well since you're all healed now, I'm guessing you're going out for a run?" Amy asked as she turned round and began to walk down the hall.

Sonic shortly followed. "Wait. We aren't gonna do anything today?"

Amy giggled as she stopped walking and turned to face the blue boy. "For a moment there, Sonic, it sounded like you didn't want to leave my side." She placed her hands on her hips and smirked at the hero

As much as he hated to admit it, he was expecting to be at her side today. Like he had been the last two weeks. For professional reasons of course. She needed protection and he offered just that. The fact that he was actually having fun with her was just an unexpected bonus. Why did he even have to explain himself? She was his none girlfriend, girl friend and hanging out with your none girlfriend, girl friend shouldn't have to be explained.

"I'll take your hesitated response as a confirmation." Amy smirk grew across her lips as the blue male blushed after coming out of his thought process. She turned away from him and walked down the hall to the bathroom. "Well, if you want to know what I'm planning on doing, I'm gonna have a TLC day."

He tilted his head in confusion. "A what day?"

"Tender loving care." His face only expressed more confusion. "A spa day. You know, skin care, relaxation, making yourself look and feel good?"

Sonic scratched his forehead, baffled by her concept of relaxation. "So like facials and stuff?" She nodded back at him. "Heh, can't say I've tried the whole mushy stuff to the face thing."

She gasped. "What? You mean you've never pampered yourself? Never gotten a massage or Moisturised your pelt? Never had a long soak in a hot bath?"

Sonic shook his head, much to Amy's surprise. "You know I'm not much of a sit around kind of guy. And I'm not much of a bath person either. Showers are the way for me. They're quick and you're not sat in your own filth for ages."

"Just how dirty do you think I am?" She frowned, crossing her arms in disapproval. She shook her head. "Why don't you join me in the spa day and you'll see how good you feel once you've spoilt yourself."

"I don't know..." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Come on Sonic... I'll even give you a massage if you want one. After your late night fighting, it may do you some good to relax your muscles."

 _Massage, eh? What kind of massage are we talking about?_ He mentally slapped himself for the following naughty thought.

Amy blushed deeply. "Not that kind of massage!"

Sonic looked puzzled towards the girl. "Huh?" He hadn't said anything to her. Was he that easy to read?

She looked away bashfully. "N-nothing... I thought you said... Nevermind." She turned away from him and headed into the bathroom. "I'll run you a bath!"

This was hardly how he saw the day going. Then again the last two weeks had been rather action packed. Perhaps it was best to take things slow for one day.

Wait. Did she say bath?

* * *

Answering the pink hedgehog's call, Sonic walked into the bathroom and leaned against the door frame, watching the girl's work on the bath she had made for him. Odd, it wasn't just water he was seeing. This was a bubble bath with a sweet aroma of vanilla and orange radiating from the steam. The blinds had been drawn down, blocking out the sunlight to allow the lit candles to shine. It was all aesthetically pleasing but overall a bit much just to clean yourself, right?

"It's ready!" Amy cheered in a merry tune as she looked over to the hedgehog at the door. "An orange and vanilla bath salt infused bath with grapefruit buttercream that I've used to make the bubbles. The salts will help relieve stress, ease any achy joints and just make you feel great!"

He looked at her before looking back at the bath. "How long do I have to be in there for?"

"As long as you like! Though preferably at least twenty minutes for the salts to be absorbed." She noticed his look of unease towards the bath. "Sonic, you won't drown. It'll help you relax."

"I know I won't drown! I'm just not a huge fan of h2o."

"Just try it out. What's the worse that could happen?"

Defeated, Sonic let out an exasperated groan and walked over to Amy. He pushed her towards the bathroom door. "No peaking."

"You walk around with no clothes on yet you expect privacy when you bathe?" She laughed as she exited the bathroom. "I'll be downstairs if you need me." She told him before closing the door.

Sighing, Sonic looked down at the rippling water, his nerves fluttering in his stomach at the depth alone. Maybe he could just pretend he had a bath? Yeah, why not? It wasn't like he smelt terrible. He checked his body odor. The smell of grass filled his nose. Not particularly a bad smell but she'd definitely notice that he didn't smell of orange, vanilla or grapefruit.

Blast those sweet smells.

He took off his gloves, shoes and socks and placed them beside the bath. This couldn't be so bad. Like Amy said, the bath salts were designed to relax.

Why was he listening to her anyway? Actually, how had he allowed her to persuade him to do all this? The bath? The spa day? He was the famous hero! The leader of the freedom fighters. He couldn't continue to let one of the members under his command rule over him.

Though maybe it was best to keep on Amy's good side... For safety reasons.

He let out another sigh and slowly placed his one leg after the other into the bath. So far, not bad. He lowered himself in, his body submerging into the warm water. Resting his head against the bath, the hedgehog sighed and allowed the water to relax him.

It actually wasn't too bad. After a few minutes, he could feel his muscles relaxing as well as his joints. Now he was beginning to understand what she meant. He was tranquilly relaxed. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of the warm water easing his muscles. This water reminded him of the lake in Spagonia. That water had been particularly warm too thanks to the summer sun. That experience hadn't been so bad either. Splashing around in the lake with Amy... Seeing her fine, toned body...

He shook his head at the thought. Yes, he admired her physique, nothing more. It was the first he had seen her expose herself. The shock must have left the image in his memory. Yeah, that was the only explanation.

Shaking his head again, Sonic focused his mind back on his bath, washing himself before allowing himself to relax again, erasing the thoughts of Amy from his mind.

He had been thinking of her a lot more than usual recently. Understandably so. It was only recently that he had found out that Amy was a demigoddess. His (former) future wife and potentially his fallen friend. That was still a struggle to get his head around. In two months, Amy had a possibility of dying. While death was always a promise to everyone, just knowing she would possibly die in such a short period of time, it left him feeling nauseated with anxiety. He believed he could save her but he couldn't help the nagging feeling at the back of his mind.

This relaxing stuff was making him think way too much for his liking. He got up from the bath and got out, reaching for a towel and drying himself off. Now that he had his oh-so-relaxing bath and smelt like a fruit basket, he wouldn't have to receive nagging from the pink hedgehog. Slipping his clothes back on, Sonic raced down the stairs and stopped a few feet away from Amy who was reading a magazine of some kind, the paper in front of her face.

Upon feeling his presence and smelling his now sweet aroma, Amy lowered her magazine, revealing the green face mask on her face. Sonic held back his laughter.

Amy slammed her magazine down onto her lap and glared at the blue hedgehog. "Very mature Sonic. To think you're supposed to be the adult here..." She said with difficulty as the mask dried against her skin. Sonic bursted into a laughing fit, causing Amy to roll her eyes. She got up from her seat and pushed passed him to go clean off her face. She reappeared shortly with a clean, glowing face and a bottle in hand. "Now that you've bathed, you should add this to your pelt."

He took the bottle out of her hand and examined it's contents. "Hmm, pelt oil... For a shinier you..." His eyes raised to look at her. "Seriously?"

"Yes." She took the bottle away from him. "I use it after every wash. Haven't you noticed my shine?"

Now that she mentioned it, her hair did look a lot shinier than his. "I guess."

Amy frowned at his lack of enthusiasm. She soon shrugged it off. "So. Will you let me massage you?"

Sonic gulped, taking a step back from her. "I'm good." His voice broke, causing him to clear his throat. "I'm good."

"You'll be missing out. I have magic hands." She smiled proudly, unaware of the suggestive thoughts that came to her crush's mind.

While mentally scolding himself, he couldn't help but think why not. If anything was to happen to Amy, (not that he was thinking anything could) he wanted to make sure she didn't have any regrets, even if that meant going out of his comfort zone.

He enjoyed the bath after he got in, maybe the massage was a similar experience.

Rubbing his nose bashfully, he agreed to her services. "Well, now that I think about it... My shoulders are a little stiff..."

Her eyes lit up. "I knew you couldn't resist a free massage!"

 _Oh man..._ He could feel himself getting tense just thinking about it. As instructed by Amy, Sonic lead down on his stomach, on the sofa with his head resting on his arms. Amy was hovering over him, removing her gloves and gathering the oil in her hand. "Just relax, Sonic. I can see you're already tense." She rubbed the oil onto both her hands before beginning to gently rub his lower back. He flinched to her contact. "I know it must be pretty strange, having me do this to you..."

Her voice was soothing, relaxing him almost immediately. "Anyone rubbing me in oil sounds kinda strange..."

"I guess that's true. But don't worry, Sonic. I'll keep it strictly professional. No happy endings here."

He raised his head and looked over his shoulder at her, revealing his blushing face. "How do you even know what that means?"

The pink hedgehog giggled. "How do _you_ know what that means?" She giggled once more as he turned away. "Are you sure this is your first massage? You seem to know a thing or two about them."

"Why don't we keep this conversation professional too?" He frowned, refusing to look back at her.

"Yes, Sir." She giggling lightly to herself as she continued to massage his lower back. "Your back is pretty tense. Do you mind if I apply more pressure?"

"Sure."

Her circular motions beared deeper into his back, releasing the tension that had built up in his muscles. Her hands were truly magical. Like disentangling the toughest knots, her fingers removed the tensity, making his body relax.

"Does that feel better?" She asked with that soothing voice she had spoke to him with moments ago. He nodded back at her. She moved up his back, reaching his back quills. She moved her hands to the spikes, massaging them until they drooped with relaxation.

This massage was heavenly. He wasn't even aware his body could feel so relaxed. The more he received the massage, the more he was transported to a realm of bliss and tranquility. Why hadn't she ever offered to massage him before? He had really missed out on the free luxury. After treating his back quills, she slowly moved up his tense shoulders and began to massage them.

His sense of awareness was decreasing, replaced by the sense of mindfulness. His mind was only focused on the pleasure and relaxation he was feeling from her services. Unintentionally yet carelessly, he groaned as the tension slowly released from his shoulders. Surprised though unaffected, Amy continued to massage his shoulders, ignoring any further sounds that came from the blue leader.

"Did you want me to massage your spikes?" She asked.

"Yeah..." He breathed out.

"Okay." She applied more oil to her hands and carefully reached into the depths of his quills and massaged them, going up gradually before going back down towards his head.

His eyes rolled back at the feeling. He thought her massage on the shoulders felt good but his quills were unknowingly his sweet spot. He groaned lowly, too in tuned to the pleasure to care what was spilling out of his mouth. Disregarding his noises, Amy worked her way around all of his spikes until they too drooped in his relaxation.

Moving away from the blue hedgehog, Amy rubbed the remaining oil into her skin. "So, feeling relaxed now, Sonic?" His was awfully quiet now. A little too quiet. "Sonic?" Peering over him once more, she was surprised to see he had fallen asleep. She giggled, deciding to leave him there to sleep after his long night of battling.

She left the room momentarily and returned with a blanket. She covered the hero and left him to his slumber, smiling contently at her handy work.

* * *

Stirring in his sleep, the blanket fell from his body and onto the floor. The faint sound of the fabric slumping to the floor caused him to open an eye and look down at it. Puzzled to see the blanket, Sonic raised his head slightly and focused on it. Realising he had fallen asleep, Sonic sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Welcome back, Sonic." Amy greeted the blue hedgehog. "Did you sleep well?"

Sonic looked over his shoulder at the pink hedgehog. She was sat on the loveseat next to the sofa, painting her fingernails a dark red shade. "When did I fall asleep?"

"About two hours ago. You fell asleep just before I stopped the massage. I assume you enjoyed it a lot more than you thought you would? I mean, that's how it sounded anyway."

"Wha-?" He suddenly blushed as he remembered what had happened. Turning to the pink hedgehog, he glared at her devious smile. "You tell anyone about that and you're in my bad books!"

"After I gave you an enjoyable, free massage?" She poked her tongue out at him playfully. "I promise I won't tell anybody." She looked at his now glossy spikes and smiled. "You look good, by the way. That oil's really given you a shine."

"Really?" He dashed out of sight and stopped in front of her mirror attached to her wardrobe. Looking at his quills, he was surprised to see them so pristinely shiny. "Pretty cool makeover I'd have to admit." He checked himself out a little more before dashing back in front of Amy. "Who would've thought you can improve on perfection?"

She rolled her eyes to his vanity. "You're welcome..."

"Ah, yeah. Thanks!" He was debating whether to ask her if she wanted him to return the favour. After making him feel so relaxed, the least he could do was try and make her feel the same, if not similar.

"Go ahead, Sonic." The boy raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You wanted to ask me something?"

How did she know that? He cleared his throat. "Well, I was wondering if you wanted me to do anything for you since you did that for me..." He looked away as a blush radiated his cheeks.

"Actually, yes." He was slightly taken back to hear her response so quickly to his request. "I started painting my nails before I used the oil on my legs. If you don't mind, could you...?" She trailed off, crossing her legs nervously, uncertain how he'd take that.

 _Don't say yes... Don't say yes._ He looked down at the girls long legs, trailing from her feet to her covered thighs, contemplating his options. While he felt he had to stand up for himself and stop giving in so easily to this girl, apart of him still argued that she deserved everything to ensure she had a fully accomplished life before the war.

Once again defeated, Sonic removed his gloves and grabbed the bottle of oil from the coffee table. "Can't promise you I'll be any good at this." He told her as he poured some of the oil into his hand.

"I'll be the judge of that. You never know, I might end up making as much noise as you did." She giggled as he glared back at her. Sitting beside the demigoddess, Amy turned to him and stretch out her left leg. He began at her ankle, copying the circular motion she had done for him. She sighed contently. "Just as I thought, you're quite a natural."

"I try." He grinned, moving gradually from her ankle, to her shin and calf muscle.

"Can you do strokes on my muscle please. Gets the tension out."

He looked up at her. "Strokes?"

"Yeah, moving your hands up and down, applying a little pressure. I thought you'd know all about that technique, Sonic." She laughed at his scowl.

"You're really close to getting into my bad books..." He started to stroke her legs, lowering his head to hide his blush. She had his blushing too many times today.

"That's better." She relaxed her back against the sofa. Sonic continued to massage her leg, stroking up and down just how she wanted it. His eyes wandered upwards, following the length of her legs. She really did have long legs. It was becoming more apparent to him as he continued to massage them. "I know." She sighed hopelessly. "My legs are quite long, aren't they? I feel like they're abnormally long compared to the rest of me."

The image of her nude in Spagonia lake came flashing back to his mind. "I think they look fine." He cleared his mind of the image.

"Really? Fine as in, they're okay or fine and as in _fine._ " She smirked at him. He scowled at her again. This time, he squeezed her calf muscle, causing her to laugh and squirm.

"Bad books!" He frowned at her. He rubbed her calf muscle again to apologise for his squeezing before moving further up her leg. He tuned out of listening and focused on massaging her leg. His hands gradually made it to her thigh. His senses paid attention to the softness of her pelt, watching how her pink fur tickled between his fingers. His hand moved up further, the feeling of material bringing him back to his senses.

His eyes widened when he realised his hands had travelled too far and wound up underneath her skirt. Geez, that was what that material was. His fingers had brushed over her underwear. His eyes slowly met with hers. She was just as shocked as he was. Why didn't she say anything?!

There was a knock at the door, snapping the hedgehogs out of their shock. The pair turned towards the door. "I'll get it!" Sonic leapt off the loveseat and rushed to the door. Amy quickly fixed her skirt and got up from her seat.

Opening the door, they saw Tails and Cryptic standing on the other side. "Hi Sonic." Tails greeted his best friend.

Cryptic bowed his head. "Sonic."

Sonic kept the door close to him, stopping the two from welcoming themselves in. "Hey guys. How's it going?"

"Good... You look different... Did you get a pelt cut or something?" The fox asked him.

"Oh you mean my spikes? Amy gave me a ma- makeover..."

"Huh. How'd she get them so shiny?"

"No inappropriate touching or anything!" He said too quickly.

Tails raised an eyebrow. _He didn't even answer the question..._ "Anyway... have you tol-"

"Hey Tails!" Amy opened the door even more, standing next to the blue hedgehog. Her eyes caught the attention of the suddenly stiff man beside the fox. She turned to him, noticing his nervous demeanour. "Oh, hello. I don't think we've met." She reached out her hand for him to shake. "I'm Amy Rose. Nice to meet you."

Accustomed to his etiquette teachings, Cryptic bowed to the girl and kissed her hand. "Your Im-"

"You're Impressive!" Sonic finished his sentence. Confused, his friends turned to the blue hedgehog. "Heh, beat you to it, Crypt. Snap!" He chuckled nervously.

"Okay..." Amy shook off Sonic's strange behaviour and smiled at their guests. "Would you guys like to come in for some drinks?"

"We'd love to-" Tails started but was cut off by Sonic.

"They'd definitely love to but we have that thing we were gonna do, remember?" He looked at the pink hedgehog who was looking back at him with even more confusion. "You know... that thing..."

Was he trying to get rid of Tails and this other guy? She looked to their guests momentarily before looking back at the blue hero. If he was wanting alone time with her, she'd be foolish to turn that request down. "Oh! That thing!" She played along with his excuse.

Tails decided to play their game too. "What thing? Maybe we can help too."

Sonic tensed slightly. If Tails and Cryptic entered, they'd no doubt bring up the whole need to know business.

Luckily for him, Amy had stepped forward and answered for him. She moved her left leg in front of her right for the males to see. "As you can see, Sonic's handsy work is not yet complete." She could feel Sonic's daggered eyes on her but she chose to ignore him, paying attention only to Tails and Cryptic.

The fox and badger looked at the shine on her one leg and noticed the other leg didn't have such a shine. Handsy? Had he given her a massage? Tails cleared his throat. "Guess you got your hands full, Sonic..." He held a smug smirk at the hedgehog. He turned back to Amy and smiled. "Is it okay if we talk to Sonic alone for a minute, Amy?"

"Of course!" She nodded back at their friend. Just as she turned around to leave, she looked back at Sonic. "Oh and don't worry. I'll warm up the oil this time." She, along with Tails chuckled as they noticed Sonic stiffen at that comment. Pleased with her teasing, she left the boys to talk at the doorstep.

Stepping outside and closing the door behind him, Sonic frowned at the smug looking fox. "Don't say anything!"

"I never had you down as a masseuse, Sonic." Tails laughed.

"Can we drop it?! To answer the question you came all the way here to ask, no. I haven't told her yet."

His laughter settled. "I can see that. It's been two weeks. What have you been doing in this time?"

"Stuff..." He crossed his arms and looked away.

"What kind of stuff? This is serious, Sonic. There's a possibility of Amy dying! She needs to know that! And if she doesn't die, she'll be known as the Goddess of Chaos! You can't spring news like that on somebody at last minute!"

"I know that!" Sonic sighed. "Just give me more time, please."

"What for? You're supposed to be there to protect her-"

"I have been! I stopped Metal last night! Didn't you see the trees on your way here? That was him!" Sonic pointed to the fallen trees in the distance.

Tails and Cryptic looked back at the trees. "So that's what happened to them." They turned back to Sonic. "I guess you gave him quite the fight then."

"You bet. Metal's got nothing on me!" He rubbed his nose and held a cocky smile. "Though I did get a little from Amy. She created a force field around the house whilst she was sleeping and then healed me. Her power over chaos seems a lot more diverse compared to the chaos emeralds."

"H-her Imperial Majesty has more p-power over chaos compared t-to Channelers. Teleportation, invisib-bility, restoration, clairvoyance, mind reading-"

Sonic stopped the advisor. "Mind reading?" Oh geez. The thoughts he had been having lately could be seen or heard by her too? That explained how she was able to answer the questions or thoughts in his head. He was going to have to be more careful...

"S-Sonic. There is something you need to know... About M-Metal..."

"Do you have information on why he's after Amy?"

"Yes... H-he's..."

The sound of the door opening made the males turn back to the house. Amy appeared from behind the door. "Sorry. Are you still talking? I'll give you more time."

Not wanting her to hear their conversation, Sonic thought it was best to end their talk there and then. "No worries, Ames. I'll be there in a sec."

She nodded and closed the door behind her. The blue hedgehog looked back to the males and gave an apologetic look. "Sorry guys. I'll get onto the task, no problem."

Tails sighed. "Please do. Not just for Amy's sake but for yours too..." He told his best friend. Sonic nodded back at him and waved as he walked back to the house. Breathing out his frustration, Tails began to walk back to his nearby plane.

Cryptic shortly followed behind. "I'm s-sure His Imperial Majesty- Sonic will get to it v-very soon."

Tails looked at the badger with a solemn expression. "I hope so. If what you told me about Metal is true, it'll destroy Sonic."

"No doubt. That p-particular bit of news will surely be his downfall."

* * *

Closing the door behind him, Sonic turned to the pink hedgehog who was standing on the opposite side of the room. He glared at the girl, a sadistic smile slowly appearing on his lips. "I told you to not tell anybody." He cracked his knuckles.

Amy giggled nervously. "I said I wouldn't tell them how you moaned through your massage. I didn't say I wouldn't tell them how good you made me feel."

He growled at her. "You better start running, Rosie." He warned her in a low tone of voice.

Gasping, the pink hedgehog ran towards the stairs. She squealed as Sonic started to chase her around the house. If she could read his mind right now, she would know it was best to keep running away from him.


	6. Fever

Chapter Six: Fever

The sounds of chanting, singing, clapping and cheering came from the camera in his hands. Looking back at the footage he and Amy had taken whilst on their trip in Mazuri, Sonic smiled down at the motion memory before him. It was dark, the fire in the middle of the big circle of people being their only source of light. There, the hedgehogs joined the cat tribe, The Leyati, in their festival of fertility.

The blue hedgehog was sat in the front, watching and filming Amy and the women of the tribe dancing their traditional dance in hopes to bring good fortune and fertility upon their tribe. They dressed in crop tops and patterned skirts of various colours with painted tattoos on their bodies. Amy had been given a green outfit and painted with white markings on her arms, stomach and face. They had painted him too, decorating him in similar white markings.

Once the men were told to join the dance, he had trusted a young boy to film the experience and joined his friend near the fire. They copied the dances of the tribe, laughing and cheering as they got lost in the fun of the festival. They got so caught up in their dancing, they hadn't realised the dancing carried on until dawn.

He wasn't much of a believer to those kinds of festivals, dancing and praying for good fortune. Now that he was looking back at the video, he was beginning to question if he had unknowingly boosted his fertility and Amy doing likewise, to be able to have six children in the future.

If he hadn't opted out of that of course.

He focused his attention back on the footage, watching the mortal goddess dancing alongside him. Both in sync and feeding off one another's energy. Their falter being the coupled, explicit moves. In their attempts to copy the more intimate moves, the pair would laugh hysterically, messing up their rhythm and having to try and catch up with the other dancers. Though as the video went on, he noticed the more intimate moves became more natural. He couldn't quite remember what they had done but judging by the video, it was quite amatory.

He groaned, rubbing his temples to express his embarrassment and annoyance in himself. As much as he enjoyed the all night party, he was ashamed of himself for getting so caught up in the music, the energy and the atmosphere and ended up practically groping the pink hedgehog. Neither of them had drank anything intoxicating and yet the more he watched, the more he saw himself, even Amy, fall into an erotic trance that they must have expressed on one another. It wasn't just them, all the dancers were captivated in this lustful stupor.

Was this apart of the festival? This hazy, lascivious trance?

Huh... That explained why it was a fertility festival then...

Luckily for him, Amy also remained clueless to the later half of that night. After they had both awoken midday, she had looked just as confused as he was on their shenanigans at dusk. As long as she didn't see this tape, he'd be fine.

The sound of faint music distracted him from the video. Curious, the blue boy hid the camera underneath his bed and got up to open the bedroom door. He stuck his head out into the hall way to listen to the music coming from downstairs. It was a similar tune to the one at the fertility festival. Traditional drums and flutes. Upbeat and energetic.

A smirk appeared on his lips. He could imagine she was probably dancing on her own, completely unaware or simply not caring that he was still there. He had to see what she was up to. If she had forgotten he was there, seeing her shock expression would be priceless.

He dashed downstairs and stopped in the living room to see her stereo playing the music. Amy wasn't to be seen. He continued to follow the sounds coming from the kitchen. Poking his head round the corner, he spotted the pink hedgehog dancing in the middle of the kitchen, occasionally going back to cooking before continuing her little dance. She was facing away from him, unaware of his presence. Grinning, the blue hedgehog leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms, watching the show.

He had to admit she was a pretty good dancer. The way she rhythmically moved her hips to the music, how she became lost in the moment and just let loose. Her moves expressed excitement, passion and exhilaration, a declaration of living.

Her powers must have been failing her to make her so unaware of his presence. He was certain she would have just sensed him by now. Eh, Cryptic had said something about her awakening bringing her full potential. For now, her powers were more dormant yet forming. Still, he didn't think she'd be this unobservant to her surroundings. He clapped sarcastically slow, stopping the girl right in the middle of her dance, she froze, not daring to look at him.

"Sonic?"

"No. It's Cream." He said sarcastically. A grin grew across his face as she slowly turned on her heel to face him. It was just as he thought. Her face was pricelessly shocked.

She blinked at him, a blush appearing on her cheeks. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough. Nice moves by the way."

The pair chuckled at one another. Hers filled with embarrassment while his was full of amusement. "I just had so much fun at the festival, I wanted to relive the experience. Did you get it all on camera by the way?"

It was embarrassing enough to watch himself all over her. The last thing he needed was for her to watch the footage and see that too. "Uh... Not all of it."

She pouted in disappointment. "That would have helped us solve the mystery of that night. I still can't remember what happened. Can you?"

_You really don't wanna know... Then again, she would probably love to see what happened..._

"Would I? Why what happened?" She asked him. "So you have some of the footage?" She gasped with excitement. "We should watch it!"

Of all the times she had to read his mind! He attempted to play it cool despite the sudden unease he was feeling. "The camera needs to charge."

"That's okay. I can just charge it as we watch. We can hook it up to the TV! We can look at all our memories together!" She jumped up and down on the spot in her excitement. Sonic stepped away from her nervously.

"Maybe we can do that later?" He suggested. The familiar itch to hot tail out of there was alerting him to run. The camera was hidden anyway, running was his safest option.

Amy crossed her arms in a sulk. "Fine." She turned away from him and switched off her appliances. "So, are you going for a run?" She looked over her shoulder at him.

He could tell he had dampened her mood. Although, even when her demeanour showed her disappointment, her eye glistened deviously. Was she acting? "Uh, yeah. I won't be long. You gonna be alright on your own?"

"You know I've lived here, on my own, for nearly seven years, right?" She turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

"Just checking." He turned towards the door, turning back to see if she was okay once more before racing out of the house. His mind was telling him to go back. That glistening in her eye was too mischievous to leave alone. What if she wanted him out the house? What if she suggested the run so she could get to the camera?

His eyes widened as he figured out her motives.

"Damnit!" How could he allow himself to be swayed so easily? He came to a harsh halt and bolted right back to her house. The front door blasted opened and slammed loudly behind him as he darted upstairs. His door was already open. No way! How was he too late?!

Racing into his room, he found the girl snooping through the drawers for the camera. She turned to face him and squealed in panic. He approached her slowly. "You know it's rude to snoop, right?"

She backed away from him until she was against the drawers. She lost her balance and ended up sat on top of the drawers. "It's hardly snooping. I own this room. You're the guest."

He frowned. "Rude..." He turned away and walked towards the door. "If that's how you treat your guests, maybe I should just leave you to fend off this creeper that's supposedly watching you at night."

"You've been here for five weeks and you haven't found anything!" She crossed her arms and pouted at him. "For all I know, you could have been the creeper watching me sleep. Nothing suspicious has happened since you moved in. Maybe you planned all this to be begin with." She snickered at his bewildered expression.

"First you think I'm a pervert. You call me a savage and now you call me a creeper?" He pouted back at the girl. "And you say you love me? I've seen more love from Shadow."

She giggled at his comment, causing him to look at her in confusion. "I always thought you had a crush on him."

His eyes widened in disbelief. "WHAT?!"

Amy laughed. "I can understand why..." She smirked at his confused, disgusted expression. "Dark, mysterious, tough... And that chest fur. It's surprisingly really soft."

What the hell?! She's been touching that faker?! How dare she act so unchaste. She was his future wife!

Again... If he was going to choose that future...

She could see his temper brewing as his eyebrows furrowed. "Is that... Jealousy I see?"

He scoffed. "Jealous of what?"

"Jealous that I know what Shadow's chest fur feels like... Or maybe because you don't want anyone to touch Shadow but yourself." She continued to smirk at him.

He growled under his breath and gritted his teeth in frustration. "Shadow's my rival! The closest thing we have to friendship is mutual respect..." He looked away, displeased with her teasing.

"Or mutual desire?"

"Now you're asking for it!" Sonic charged for the pink hedgehog. Squealing, Amy jumped out of the way. Sonic quickly turned to her and charged at her again, pushing her onto the bed and playfully wrestling with her. "Take it back!"

Amy laughed as he pinned her hands down and peered down at her intimidatingly. "Make me."

Frowning, he released her hands from his grip and proceeded to tickle her stomach. She flailed around beneath him, screaming and laughing at his playful torture. Her flailing unintentionally backfired on the hedgehog as her knee ended up slamming into his groin.

"Argh!" He grimaced at the overwhelming pain, rolling off the girl and the bed, onto the wooden floor.

"Sonic! Are you alright?" Amy gasped, she jumped off the bed and rushed to his side. "I'm so sorry!"

He breathed through his teeth as he endured the pain. His stomach churning at the throbbing, stabbing feeling in his nether region. That was one way to counteract the fertility ritual.

"Do you want me to do anything?" She said with concern in her voice.

"No." He answered quickly. Rubbing the injury would be both impractical and highly inappropriate.

She bit her lip, feeling guilty for her carelessness. She waited on her knees for the pain to leave him, watching him cling to his crotch. It was astounding how one attack could bring such a formidable fighter to foetal position.

Her eyes began to wander to an object beneath his bed. It looked like the camera. Oh yes! It was the camera.

Why was it there? Was he trying to hide it?

While Sonic was still recovering from her unpredicted attack, she slowly reached for the camera. She successfully grabbed the camera and jumped to her feet. "Yes!"

Sonic looked up at the girl and gasped. "No!"

She rushed out of the room before he could get up. Forcing himself onto his feet, Sonic followed the girl downstairs and stopped near the stairs, watching her jumping onto the sofa and peering down at the camera. He groaned in defeat, face palming at his own failure to keep her away from that camera.

She watched the footage from the fertility festival, a blush slowly appeared on her face. "Oh..." her lips quivered in shock. "Oh..." Sonic looked away, embarrassed by his own actions. Amy looked over at him for a moment and then back at the video. "Well... I can see why you didn't want me to see this."

They were hardly recognisable. The transition from having a good time together, jokingly dancing and laughing at their failed attempts to keep up with the other dancers, to succumbing to the lustfully hazy stupor was scary. Their wondering hands, the slow yet seductive rotation of their hips moving against one another, resembling the movements of a snake. They were mere inches apart, noses touching, lips dangerously close, eyes amorously staring at one another.

The amount of dancers around them lessened, all leaving in pairs. Oh Chaos... They hadn't just joined a festival for laughs, the Leyati fertility festival was a ritual of lust.

"We didn't... You know... Right?" She turned to him with a deep red blush across her cheeks.

He shook his head, his face also showing a competitive blush. "We woke up by the burnt out fire. You were fully clothed."

She nodded back at him, feeling embarrassed and uncertain about everything. Both of them had overstepped the boundaries even if unknowingly doing so. What did that mean? Was that intentional or was that because of the festival? For the past five weeks, they had these moments where she was uncertain of the meaning behind them. The bantering flirtation, the occasional glances and of course all the time they were spending together was making her question his feelings for her. Why was he spending so much time with her? Why was he teasing her love for him by entertaining her the way he had been?

It wasn't fair. If he didn't have feelings for her, she would have preferred if he simply turned her down like he used to. It was far less torturous than what was happening between right now.

She placed the camera beside her and got up. Her now teary eyes met with his. "Sorry..." He whispered as she ran passed him and ran to her bedroom.

"Amy?" He called up to her before he heard the door slam behind her. Her sadness was more than just embarrassment, he knew that. He felt it too. That torture she was enduring along side him. That nagging question neither of them could answer.

What was happening?

For the pass five weeks, he found himself doing things way out of his character, just for her. At first he understood all his actions were to ensure she lived her best life before the war. Filling a bucket list of opportunity. Now he wasn't so sure. While he still believed he had to protect her from Metal and provide her with the best memories before the main predicament, there was something more to all this.

Something words couldn't explain for him.

Sighing hopelessly, the blue hedgehog slowly walked upstairs and stood outside her door, reluctant to enter. What was he meant to say? What could he do to make this better?

He could hear her sobbing on the opposite side of the door. He groaned out of guilt. Even if he didn't know how to solve this, he couldn't leave her to cry. Opening her door, he found her lead on her stomach, face buried in her arms as she cried. He hated to see her cry. It was worse when he knew he was the reason. Sitting beside her on the bed, he stared straight ahead as he spoke. "I'm sorry."

Her head slowly raised, looking at him over her shoulder. "I'm fine. I'm just being stupid." She sat up slowly and harshly wiped her eyes.

He looked back at her over his shoulder. "Nah. That's my role in this friendship." He meekly smiled. "It was a little surprising for me too. Guess we got a little carried away..."

"Yeah..." She looked down at her lap, hesitating to say anything else. Did she ask the question and scare him off or did she allow these moments of minor affection to continue before he decided to go back to his original avoidant ways? It was a risky question. One with strong consequences which she was uncertain she could handle. Letting out another sigh, she forced herself to smile through her pain, just like she always had. "You know, dancing can be seen as a language."

Inquisitive, Sonic shuffled slightly so he was facing her. She turned her body slightly towards him. "What do you mean?"

"It's emotion, in motion. At the start of the dance, we let our sense of freedom shine. Carefree, energetic, without shame or constraints. But freedom opens the portal to all kinds of possibilities. Vulnerability, corruption..." She looked to him with the vulnerability in her eyes. "Temptation..." He looked back at her. "My guess is, our exposure made us vulnerable to the atmosphere of the party. Nothing more." She smiled weakly at him.

He could see her trying to hold back her tears. Her explanation seemed to be a persuasion aimed at herself. She didn't want to believe the dance meant nothing. Her explanation didn't even satisfy him. He still couldn't explain what was happening between them but what if he didn't explain it? What if it was expressed through motion?

"Hey..." He placed his hand on hers and gently pulled her up along with him. "Do you know what's also expressive?"

"What?"

"Music. Aaaand do you know what the best kind of music is?" He smirked.

"Uh... No I don't. What is it?"

"Nature!"

She raised her eyebrow. "Nature isn't a music genre." She giggled.

"That's what you think." He winked at her as he grasped her hand again and raced out of her bedroom and downstairs to the front door. He opened the door and nearly jumped in shock to see it was now raining. Eugh. He was going to get wet. Maybe he should've looked to the balcony before rushing downstairs.

Though the sound of the raindrops harshly hitting the ground filled his ears, a natural beat of nature.

Amy gasped excitedly. "Are we gonna dance in the rain?! Oh~ I've always wanted to do that!"

Sonic looked back at her with a grin, approving of her enthusiasm. "Come on then. Let's dance." He pulled her outside, into the downpour. Amy looked around, feeling embarrassed. "I can't dance without a beat..." She blushed.

"But there is a beat." He grabbed her waist and held her hand. "Listen..." He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds around them.

Still uncertain yet willing, the girl closed her eyes and listened to the song of nature. The sounds at first failed to reach her. He must have noticed because he instructed her on what to do next. "Clear your mind. Forget everything and just listen."

She did as she was told. With her eyes closed, she found herself entering a state of mindfulness. Seeing nothing, feeling nothing, tasting nothing. The sounds around them echoed and resonated around her. The harshness of the rain providing a beat of drum. The gentle summer breeze still present in the rainfall, brushing through the leaves. "Wow." She gasped.

"Hear it?" He asked.

"Yes." She breathed out. Her eyes opened and met with his own. "It's amazing..."

He moved with her, dancing to the sounds around them. A sensible dance, expressing the peaceful atmosphere they were in. Their dance got faster, less serious than how it had started, bringing their connection as friends into play. They laughed and danced with each other, both failing on occasion and laughing it off.

The sounds of nature wasn't the only thing they became in tuned with. The more they danced, the more they could hear one another's heartbeats, accompanied by one another's breathing. They watched one another's movements, any laughter soon fading as they returned to a more serious tone.

There was hesitation between them. The familiar haze of the festival overshadowing them. Their eyes met, stating their desires yet neither would give in. Their dance became a contemporary battle, fighting the urge to give into their temptation. It was just as Amy told him. Freedom brought vulnerability. To cross that line she had been insistent she wouldn't cross during their time together and for him to give in to these indescribable, overwhelming feelings he found himself feeling.

In their contemporary dance battle, they grabbed each other's hand and pulled themselves closer together. Both exhaling deeply as they stopped and watched their connecting hand. Their eyes focused on one another once more. The tension was thick between them though neither was brave enough to cross it. Their eyes remained fixated, distracting them as their body subsequently got closer. Their hips brushed against each other, releasing their held breaths. The wavering flow of pleasure racing through them at the minor touch.

Unable to hold back, they gave in to their temptation and slammed with lips together. Amy's arm flew around his neck as his own wrapped around her waist tightly. Amorously, their lips took over their dancing. A heated, passionate dance that not even the rain pouring on them could cool.

Sonic broke their kiss and laced her neck and collarbone with desperate, sensual kisses. In a state of lust, Amy tipped her head up to the sky and moaned breathlessly at the feeling. Her moans became audible as he bit down gently and sucked on the sensitive area of her neck.

Their passion left them unaware of the pair of red eyes intensely watching them in the distance. Metal immerged from the bushed and watched the pair in their passionate moment. He looked down at his balled fist and raised it in declaration of vengeance. He vowed revenge and only he could serve it to that blue hedgehog.

* * *

Signalling Sonic's communicator, Tails sighed as he was once again declined. Trying to get hold of Sonic was originally hard enough. When he had a task to complete but was slow in delivery of said task, reaching him was near impossible. What was he doing anyway? Other than keeping Metal away from Amy, the blue hedgehog was just constantly taking her on adventures.

Whenever the fox managed to get a hold of his best friend, he was abroad with Amy, discovering new destinations and doing the most questionable activities. After previously tracking their location, he found out they visited Mazuri. Before that was Holoska, Apotos, Soleanna and Spagonia for the second time. He was happy to know they were having such a great time but when Sonic was supposed to tell the girl about the life changing situation she was going to be thrown into, his actions were proving to be completely careless.

Frustrated, Tails groaned and slammed his head onto his desk. "Why is it so hard for him to just tell her?! He's putting everyone else at risk and I hate to say it, not giving us an opportunity to say... goodbye, to Amy by not telling her who she really is."

Cryptic stood by, reading one of the books he had brought with him. "I do b-believe His I-Imperial Majesty develops his feelings for Her Imperial Majesty d-during his services."

Tails span on his chair to the regal badger. "Oh... You know, I didn't even think about that. So during this time, he falls in love with Amy?" He pondered. "That would explain what happens to him if Amy does die." He shook his head and cringed. "It feels so weird to talk about Amy's... passing. I know Sonic can save her but I guess knowing that it's a possibility makes it harder to ignore."

"It is q-quite a shock. If Her Imperial M-Majesty does not exist in the future, my l-life will be erased in this t-timeline too."

"Huh?"

Cryptic closed the book and placed it on a nearby desk. "My hometown w-was raided by mercenaries. It was t-the Empress a-and Emperor who saved me and my family. Since then, I-I have been loyal to them. They will bring on the great Chaos Order and bring peace to all nations under Chaos."

Tails blinked at the badger. "Amazing..."

"They r-really are."

"Not that." He smiled at the advisor. "You said that without a stutter."

Cryptic looked astounded at that information. His passion for the empire was strong enough to break through his crippling anxiety.

The piercing red eyes standing at the open workshop door however brought his anxiety right back up. "Aaaah M-M-Metal!"

Tails shot up from his seat and turned towards the silhouette in near the door. The person came closer, revealing themselves. Tails looked both baffled and wary. "Shadow?"

The wet hedgehog crossed his arms. "Something's happening with Rose. What do you know about her?"

Confused, Tails answered the hedgehog with another question. "How do you know anything's happening with Amy?"

"The chaos energy radiating from her..." He answered. "Now it's time to answer my question." He walked up to the teen and towering over him intimidatingly. "Don't hold back any information."

The fox turned to the shaking badger. Cryptic cautiously stepped forward and bowed his head to the ultimate lifeform. "A-allow me to i-inform you, M-Master Shadow."


	7. Conflict To Truth

Chapter Seven: Conflict to Truth

Disease of the mind was taking over him. Shrouded his judgement, committed treason to all logic, scorched his sanity. He could feel himself changing and no matter how much he resisted, the thought of the pink female shattered his will. Like a puppet on strings, he bowed to her command.

These feelings were unnatural for him. There had been times where he had experienced lust but that was a sweeping mood. That required quick fix outlet and the feelings were gone. But this, these feelings, there was no cure. Limitless. Like a drug, the fix wasn't fixing anything. It was a temporary satisfaction but sooner or later, he had to go back to her.

The blue boy tried to refrain from his yearning. He'd run, he'd hide, he'd battle his own emotions but then he saw her and when she'd approach him with her affection, he ended up defying his rational thoughts, his restraints and succumbed to her. He'd tell himself it was okay to hold her, that there was no harm in just cuddling her. That was how he tricked himself into quenching the need and became drunkenly infatuated by her kiss.

He was stronger than this. Or so he thought. Somehow, he didn't know when, she had become his weakness. He had become so weak, his fight to constrict his desire was becoming more and more pointless. The colours of the world lit up whenever she came to mind and ultimately, he felt elated whenever he gave in.

Just why did he have to feel like this now?

If this was the fate's work, he would spit on it's name. For destiny to bring on this unnatural force that was pulling him towards Amy, weeks before her potential demise, it was cruel. Unforgivably cruel. Just when he was beginning to open up to the idea of being with her, the haunting fact that he would potentially lose her... It was too much to bear.

The closer they got to that time, the more he was filled with the insecurity and uncertainty of his ability to save her. Before he would have lost a friend and that was hard enough. Now, he would be losing the one thing that made his world shine bright.

That fact alone filled him with a gloomy darkness, expelled of light.

All the nights he had spent standing by her bedside, watching the mortal goddess sleep left him with this anguish. In just two weeks, she could be gone... forever...

"Sonic." Amy appeared from the corner and into the living where he was resting on the sofa. She appeared to be wearing a white apron over her red summer dress. He watched as she walked over to him. There was flour on her face. "Are you alright? You seem a little bored."

He sat up and reached up to wipe the flour off her face. "Nah. I was just thinking."

"Of?"She grinned, sitting on his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck.

His arms wrapped around her instinctively. "Somebody..." He teased her, returning the same grin back at her.

"Anybody I know?"

"I think you know them very well." He couldn't resist planting a kiss on her soft lips. The minor exchange of affection lingered on his lips, leaving him wanting more. "They're smart, fierce, heck of a fighter..." Her smile grew bigger at his description. That particular smile that made his heart beat faster unwillingly. That smile stirred the urge to kiss her again. He pulled her in and kissed her tenderly, enjoying the elevating ecstasy despite the butterflies filling his stomach. Amy happily returned the affection, bringing her hands to rest against his cheeks as she deepened the kiss.

Not many words had been said after their moment in the rain three weeks prior. It was like a silent declaration that the boundaries had been happily crossed and both were okay with the consequences. Since that day, their affection for one another came naturally, without the fear of boundaries.

Breaking the kiss, the hedgehogs sighed with satisfaction. "I was talking about Blaze by the way." He smirked, awaiting her reaction.

Amy's smile immediately vanished, switching to a look of shock and then mild annoyance. "You jerk!" She slapped him, getting up from his lap and heading back to the kitchen.

Sonic chuckled and shortly followed her into the kitchen. "I was just playing with you."

She huffed at him. "No cake for you!" She looked through the oven door to watch the cake raising.

"Anything but that!" He exaggerated his gasp. Although the smell coming from the oven did smell good. "What's the occasion? Your birthday isn't for another two weeks."

"A week and three days, actually." She corrected him. "Or ten days. I prefer to count down the days. Seems like there's less time."

"Ten days?" That was it? Ten days to her birthday. Fourteen until the war and her potential death? His stomach churned at the thought.

"I know! I'm so excited! The big eighteen!" She clapped excitedly.

Dying just days after her birthday, at the age of eighteen? He really hated fate.

"A little off topic here but..." She looked somewhat coy as she looked down at the bowl in front of her. "Are you going to see Tails anytime soon?"

"Why?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

She refused to look at him as she began to make frosting for her cake. "I know it sounds stupid but I've... seen him trying to get a hold of you." She scoffed at her own words. "It sounds crazy when I say that..."

"I don't think it's crazy." He reassured her. "You used to be a tarot card reader. Who knows, maybe you're psychic?" He shrugged, somewhat hinting to her powers.

Amy giggled. "If I'm psychic, I'd better start playing the lottery." She looked up at him and smiled meekly. "Could you go see him? Just to see if I'm being paranoid or not?"

He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in having to be away from her too long. He mentally scolded himself for allowing himself to act so feeble. Time away from her would probably stop him feeling so obsessed.

He wondered if that was one of her powers. After all, it wasn't like him to be so desperate. Yeah, that made sense. What if he was exposed to her powers for too long and that was why he was yearning for her in such a way? That had to be it. What he was feeling was magic. She must of had powers over will too and the only person who could confirm that was Cryptic.

More reason to pay his pal a visit.

"Sure thing. You gonna be okay here?" She placed her hand on her hip and gave him a quizzical expression, he asked that question way too often. "Just checking." He raced out of the kitchen but came to a halt at the front door. He wasn't satisfied with his farewell. Running back into the kitchen, he pulled the girl into his arms and kissed her lovingly, pulling himself away to see her dazed expression. He smirked. "Later."

She looked at him with a dreamy expression. "Later..." She breathed out. Smirking once more, the blue hedgehog sprinted out of the house and raced off down the path to the workshop.

Now that he was gone, Amy smiled to herself as she selected a name on the device and clicked on call. She raised the communicator slightly and waited for them to answer. "He's gone. You can come over now."

* * *

"Okay. All you have to do is repeat these sentences slowly. Take your time." Tails instructed the badger.

Cryptic looked at the screen in front of him. "The d-dog..." He paused, taking a deep breath and starting over. "The... dog... sat on a- A log. From there, he would... blog."

Tails patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Good! If you keep practicing, you'll get over your stutter."

The advisor sighed. "I do hope y-you're right. Being rid of this i-issue will make the other a-advisors respect me."

The fox gave the man a look of sympathy. "Do the other advisors bully you for the way you speak?"

Cryptic smiled bittersweetly and nodded. "They don't think I-I'm adequate for the role. What's a n-nerve s-stricken advisor doing advising the E-Empire?"

"Don't you have to be knowledgeable on different subjects and topics to be an advisor?"

"Oh yes. S-six years of study, two years of etiq-quette learning and six months p-placement."

"It takes a lot to be an advisor then, huh?" Tails said, admiring the man's dedication. "You've worked so hard to be working for Sonic and Amy in the future, you deserve your job just like the rest of them."

"T-thank you, Tails. T-though I am r-rather used to it."

Tails looked away, a sullen look appearing on his face as he was reminded of a bitter past. "I used to get bullied when I was a kid."

"W-whatever for?" Cryptic was baffled to hear such truth.

He moved his tails up and down, signalling the advisor to look at them. "A fox with a genetic mutation is prone to bullying. Used to call me a freak and at one point, I believed them. It wasn't until I met Sonic that I started to think of my mutation as a strength. He said to me, you don't want to be like me. You want to be a better you, so I became who I am now." He smiled at the badger. "Your faults shouldn't stop you from being your best you."

The badger allowed those words to sink in. "You're r-right." He nodded at the fox. "It would seem as though S-Sonic has helped the both of us see our potential."

"He has. That's Sonic for ya. He helps everybody." Tails praised his best friend.

Cryptic nodded in agreement. "I-I just hope he can help to s-save the future."

Just then, the blue hedgehog dashed into the workshop and came to a halt in front of the fox and badger. "Hey guys!" Sonic enthusiastically said as the blur around him faded. Cryptic rose from his chair and bowed his head to greet the blue hedgehog.

His best friend turned to face him. "So you've checked your messages for a change? You know what I'm gonna ask..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Quick answer; no-"

Tails's eyes widened in horror. "Sonic! We have two weeks!"

He held his hands up in defense. "Hey, hold up a sec. I can't drop a bomb on Amy without _all_ the information first." The blue hedgehog turned to Cryptic. "I need to know a few things... Main thing is, Amy's powers. Does she have the power over controlling free will?"

Cryptic appeared to be lost in thought. "Her I-Imperial Majesty h-has been known to influence her en-nemy's actions during battle."

"So she can make others feel a certain way? Like, I don't know, a permanent mind control?" He asked, sounding rather hopeful.

Tails raised an eyebrow to Sonic's questioning. "Are you feeling a certain way towards Amy, Sonic?" He smirked at the blue hedgehog. He was quite surprised to see his best friend looking somewhat coy.

"I don't how to explain it... All I know is, this has to be magic."

"Would y-you care to describe these emotions, S-Sonic?" Cryptic asked.

Sonic looked over to Tails, feeling awkward to speak of such personal, adult themed thoughts in front of his young friend. He may already have some knowledge on this stuff as a fourteen year old but hearing it in detail, from him, the hero he looked up to, it seemed like such a taboo.

"Whenever y-you are ready, Sire- Sorry, Sonic." The badger encouraged the leader to speak.

Embarrassed, Sonic rubbed his nose. "You ever had a chilli dog that was _really_ good? So good, that you wanted to have more and you know you shouldn't have any more but you really want to have more? And the more you try to resist, the more you think of the chilli dogs and it becomes harder to resist. So, you give in and have another chilli dog... That turns into another, and another and another. You tell yourself to stop and control yourself but she just tastes so good and-"

"She? Are we still talking about chilli dogs?" A blush appeared across Sonic's face. Tails' smirk grew as the answer came to mind. "Is this a metaphor to how you feel about Amy? Because it sounds like you're in love."

Sonic scoffed and crossed his arms. "Yeah, right. How would you know what love is anyway?"

"According to your metaphor, you can't stop thinking about her and you've been fighting the urge to follow your feelings and it's drove you to the point of insanity so you've given in to your feelings, more than once. Correct?"

Not wanting to admit it, Sonic looked away from the genius. "That doesn't mean I love her. I've been exposed to her magic long enough to feel like this."

His best friend sighed. "Sonic. We know you're gonna marry her anyway. Why are you trying to resist what you're feeling?"

"Who says I'm definitely going to marry her? Who says I want to have six children?"

Cryptic nervously raised his hand to interject. "Actually S-Sonic. You are destined to have s-seven children."

His eyes dilated as he slowly turned to the advisor. "What?"

"As p-part of the Chaos Order. Y-you and the Empress are to have seven heirs. One r-ruler for each chaos emerald. T-together, they will unite the world in every c-continent under the rule of C-chaos."

Speechless, Sonic stared blankly at the badger. Seven? Seven children? All from Amy? The poor girl really was going to be a breeding machine.

Though he couldn't deny the curiosity he had for his future offspring. Of course they would be apart of this Vessel Clan, like Amy but what did they look like? What were they called? Did they possess his speed? Was he a good dad to all of them?

Clearing his throat, he questioned the badger. "Tell me about my kids."

Cryptic nodded. "Your first b-born will be the Imperial pr-prince, Jolt The Hedgehog. Currently s-six years old. The embodiment of his father w-with the personality of his mother. Responsible and v-virtuous. A true leader. Then t-there are the three y-year old triplets. Th-there's the Imperial Prince, Core. Renown as t-the Riot. A real t-trouble maker to the servants and all round p-prankster. F-following him, we have the Imperial Princesses, identical t-twins, Astra and Nova. Astra tends to f-follow Core in his misch-chief whereas Nova is more like Jolt. His I-Imperial Majesty loves his children dearly a-and is often seen av-avoiding court to play with them."

It was strange. When Cryptic had first told him about his future children with Amy, he had to drink away the shock. Now he was hearing it the second time, he could feel himself growing to the idea. Being with Amy made him feel happy. Maybe he'd feel the same way if she was to carry his children?

"You have to save them." The silver furred hedgehog and his friend, Blaze walked into the workshop and stood metres away from the trio. Sonic turned to face them, bewildered to see them before him.

"What are you two doing here?" Sonic questioned the pair. Blaze looked to the apprehensive hedgehog beside her and whispered to him, encouraging him to go forward and speak his trouble.

Silver stepped forward, his brow furrowed with great unease. "It's about the future. With Aurielle and your children-"

"Wait. How do you know about Amy's power?" Sonic stopped the male from speaking.

Silver froze. "Amy? As in Amy Rose?" He slowly began to pace around, back and forth as mentally processed all the information he already knew with the information he had just received. "Amy is Aurielle? The Goddess of Chaos?"

"T-the, uh, Empress den-nounces that title... A-at most, she will be addressed as Her Imperial M-Majesty, Aurielle Paeonia or by her mortal name, A-Amy Rose." Cryptic bowed his head.

Silver looked to the formal badger, gesturing his apology. "We found books that explained everything about Amy: Her powers, her heritage, her children. Amy herself talks about how she travelled dimensions and discovered what happened to you and the world if she died during the upcoming war. We travelled to this time to offer our help and ensure her heritage lives on."

Blaze stepped forward and grabbed onto Silver's shoulder. "Silver... He needs to know who you are." He looked back at the girl, showing his hesitation.

Growing impatient of Silver's stalling, Sonic turned to the cat. "What do you mean?"

Sighing, Silver revealed his findings. "She means we're related. I'm a descendent of you and Amy. Core, your son, is my great, great grandfather."

For a moment, the blue leader remained stunned in disbelief. This whole situation was becoming more and more ludicrous. First, his long time friend and former crazed fan turned out to be this demigoddess, then there was a chance she was going to die, he became enthralled to her powers and now this? Could the story get anymore messed up?

Still in a state of disbelief, the blue hedgehog laughed hysterically. The four watched him, shocked and unsettled by his reaction. "You got me there, man. Good one." Sonic said as his laughter died down.

"I'm serious!" Silver exclaimed. "If we lose Amy to this war, it'll wipe out generations! Including me! I-" He swallowed his pride. "I'm begging you. You have to save her."

"Save her. That's the easy part. I've saved her countless times before, I doubt this time will be any different. But what you're really asking me is to become her husband and have multiple children. Because that's what destiny has decided for me, hasn't it?"

"Sonic. You said so yourself that you have feelings for her. Why are you fighting this?" Tails asked his previous question once more.

"How I choose to live my life is my decision. I don't need destiny to dictate my future!" He crossed his arms in defiance.

"You run the risk of losing your wife and children. Do you honestly not care for them?!" Silver growled at Sonic in frustration and desperation for his own life.

Appearing disinterested in what the futuristic hedgehog had to say, Sonic looked back at him and remained callous. "I can't miss what I don't have."

"You're lying." Silver said, his anger spilling into his words. "You're afraid of losing Amy. You know you are."

"Careful, Silver. Your life is in the balance here." Sonic glared back at his descendent.

Tempered, Silver confronted the blue hedgehog, standing inches apart from him. "Yeah? And so is yours!"

Perplexed, Sonic's brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"That's what we've been trying to get a hold of you about..." Tails said, looking to the advisor to explain.

Cryptic stepped in front of the conflicting hedgehogs and nervously turned to the currently troublesome blue blur. "I p-previously told you that I h-had information on Metal..."

"What is it?" Sonic asked.

"H-he's... Well, he's, u-um..."

"Cryptic, what do you know about Metal?"

Exhaling deeply, Cryptic held a serious expression at the blue hedgehog. "He's you."

His eyes widened at the man's words, spikes flaring in horror and incredulously. "W-what?"

"Unable to cope w-with the loss of Amy, you're to s-succumb to the heartbreak and y-you'll be shrouded in a dark depression. In your d-devastation, you'll be c-captured by the D-Doctor and you'll be robotised into Egg-Eggman's greatest creation."

He stepped away from the small group and ran his fingers through his quills in bewilderment. It was like his dream he had months ago. Now it all made sense. That silhouette that faded in the light was Amy and that heartache he felt was from losing her. And that fear. Such unnatural fear. That was his future self!

"The reason Metal knows all of your moves is because he's you from the future. According to the books, you'll become the greatest weapon. The world will be destroyed and those who remain will be slaves to build the Eggman Empire." Tails solemnly told his best friend. "Ultimately, if Amy dies... We'll all die..."

He felt nauseated, his stomach churning with anxiety. How could he, a hero, become his arch enemy? A destroyer of their world? This couldn't be true. He swallowed hard as he looked back to the badger. "No... You can't be serious..."

"It's written i-in the books."

"But I fought him a month ago! How could I fight him if he's me?!"

"Metal will gain enough of his previous memories to remember who he was and how he ended up the way he is. This'll cause him to lose him mind. He escapes the clutches of Doctor Eggman and goes back in time to where he first met Aurielle... Uh, or Amy..." Silver explained. "While trying to get Amy to see who he really is, he ends up meeting you too. He's so insane that he only sees himself as the real Sonic and you're just a fraud."

Blaze stepped in front of Silver and told the rest of the story."The event of meeting Metal has traumatised Amy. When he wasn't under Eggman's command, he would leave her alone and just hope one day, he'd be able to save her and himself."

That was right. Amy was terrified of Metal. Amy, afraid of him? His heart clenched at the thought. Looking down at the ground, he tried to get his head around the news. With Cryptic around, that held some promise to Amy surviving. But so was Metal. With both of them present, who knew how this would turn out?

"Are you alright, Sonic?" Tails asked, knowing his question had an obvious answer.

Trying to cover his visible shock, Sonic held a meekly smile. "Yeah... I'm good."

The fox gave him a concerned expression in return. "I know I've been saying this a lot lately but you really need to tell Amy. This affects you just as much as her. If it's too much for you, Shadow will do it for you."

"Shadow?"

"H-he made us tell him about A-Amy."

Great. Now not only were Tails, Cryptic, Blaze and Silver on his back, Shadow had joined the need-to-know bandwagon.

Feeling drained, Sonic began to walk to the door. "I got this. Really." He looked back at the fox.

"There's only-"

"Yeah, Tails. I know." He responded irritatedly, causing reluctance in his best friend. Feeling bad for snapping at the teenager, he sighed and gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry, bud. I just- I gotta go..." He dashed out of the workshop, creating a harsh gust of wind in his wake.

Saddened by his best friend's turmoil, Tails sat down on his chair and turned to the others. "We'll give him one more day. That's all we can do."

* * *

He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. All these years, he had been battling himself? Amy had be petrified of him all this time? How could he allow himself to become robotised? He knew potentially losing Amy would have been unbearable. She was one of his closest friends after all. Now he was feeling what he was feeling? Somehow even more unimaginably painful but was it enough to really make him fall to Eggman?

He gulped, already knowing the answer.

He had to get back to her. As long as he was near her, his worries would just melt away.

Dashing through the front door, he called out to the girl. "Amy?" There was a sound of shuffling coming from the dining room, curious, he made his way down the hall. A flash of red caught his eyes, dashing from the dining room to the kitchen and out the backdoor.

That could only be one person. Why was Shadow here? He wasn't aware he and Amy were friendly enough to be having one on one time together. Then again, if she was familiar with the touch of his chest fur, they had to be pretty close. They weren't getting close behind his back, were they? No, Amy wouldn't do that to him and from what he knew about Shadow, the guy had enough respect for both him and Amy to keep things platonic.

Oh Chaos. Had he told her everything? The blue hedgehog rushed into the dining room, witnessing Amy getting up from her seat and looking surprised to see him. "Sonic!"

"What was Shadow doing here?" He asked frantically. "What has he told you?!" He didn't give her much time to respond as he rushed back out the house in pursuit of the black hedgehog, desperate for answers.

Amy ran to the backdoor and called out to her lover. "Sonic, wait!" She cried. Anxiety kicked in, assuming the worse. Did he think she was cheating?

* * *

In a haste, Sonic managed to catch up with the ultimate lifeform and stayed hot on his trail. He channeled his anxiety and desperation into his energy to chase Shadow. If Amy found out about everything, from anyone else other than him and found out that he knew about it all along, it would ruin everything between them. They only just started whatever they had, he wasn't ready to lose it all yet.

Heck, he wasn't ready to ever lose her.

Both hedgehogs darted off the path and headed through the thicket, both leaping over the branches and and bushes. Upon surfacing, Shadow lead them through various fields until he vanished from Sonic's sight using chaos control. Sonic harshly stopped and looked around for the ultimate lifeform. Where had he gone? Had he brought him all the way out here to get him away from Amy?

A light came from behind Sonic, alerting him to turn around. Shadow appeared once again and slowly walked towards him. "You have gone to a lot of effort to keep Amy from knowing who she is."

"What have you told her?" Sonic asked sternly.

Shadow left the blue male in suspense, crossing his arms as he hesitated to answer. "Just as much as you." His snarky comment implied he hadn't told her anything. Relieved, Sonic exhaled deeply. Noticing his rival's reassurance, Shadow raised an eyebrow. "What game are you playing, hedgehog?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know we don't have long until Eggman plans his assault on Amy. Not telling her will only leave her more vulnerable in the war."

"I know..." The blue leader mumbled, looking down at the ground in guilt and sorrow.

"Then why haven't you told her? Why have you left it to the final moment?"

He could feel himself breaking at the thought of never seeing her again. The heavy emotion that sat on his chest restricted his breathing. These feelings that made him feel like he was drowning aided the blue prints of his destiny. Swallowing the globus sensation in his throat, he chose to keep up his facade. No way did he want to show vulnerability in front of Shadow of all people.

Unfortunately for him, he was actually rather easy to read. The pain he was experiencing had been laced across his face right before he faked his demeanour. Shadow studied the man's expressions. He was suffering immensely. In a entanglement of mixed emotions that he seemed to be fighting.

Was that why he was refraining from telling her? Because of his own personal battle within? Even if he felt sympathetic towards the blue hedgehog, keeping Amy in dark due to his own problems was selfish and worse, his actions (or lack of) could play a role in Amy's demise.

"You don't have to run from this..." Shadow told him. Sonic appeared to show a moment of vulnerability, possibly caught of guard by the unexpected reassurance and understanding. He immediately shut down the chance of any comfort and crossed his arms in defiance.

"I'm not running from anything! You guys need to relax a little. So I let her live life a little. What's so bad about that?"

Maybe he couldn't see the bigger picture. Perhaps he just didn't want to see it. Regardless of the reason, he wasn't going to let Sonic's naive behaviour or his emotional turmoil cause Amy's death. Having enough of his attitude, Shadow began to walk passed him. "If you're not going to tell her, I will. We don't have time for you to be indecisive."

Alerted, Sonic span on his heel and grabbed the ultimate lifeform's arm instinctively, not fully aware of his outburst. "Wait!"

Looking back at the leader, Shadow pulled his arm away and turned to face him. "You better start talking. What's stopping you from telling her?"

His vulnerability was dancing in his eyes unwillingly. Being put on the spot was exposing his true emotions he had been fighting all this time. He held back his tear with all his might but his efforts couldn't stop his hammering heart. "I..." His voice was barely audible from his emotions causing a lump in the back of his throat once more. He swallowed hard. "I didn't want to believe any of this was happening."

Shadow crossed his arms and listened to the man spill his turmoil. "I'm not much of a believer in fate or destiny. Life's an adventure just waiting to be explored. Being told I was gonna settle down and have over half a dozen kids, I refused to believe the idea. And Amy dying? Well, I didn't want to believe that either... But the more I saw her powers, the more I was forced to believe it. I thought that if she lived her best life and the worse were to happen, at least she'd have no regrets."

The pain in his chest became more apparent, making him breath deeply. "But I didn't know-" He breathed heavily as his emotions began to seep through. "I didn't know I'd end up feeling like this." An involuntary sob escaped him. Angered by his own emotions, he let his frustration out in his rant. "Who decided this was my fate? What kind of fate makes somebody feel so strongly for someone and then rip them away from you?!" He sobbed once more, the pang in heart becoming unbearable. "That's my fate isn't it? I fall for Amy and then she's taken from me and I become... him."

"You don't know that..." Shadow told him.

"But I do! Because I can feel it happening! No matter how much I fight it, I can't stop feeling this way for her! I've told myself to stop but it just gets stronger the more I fight." The tears streamed down his face as he beared his heart to his rival. "I can't... I can't lose her Shadow." He whimpered. Overcome with his grief, he fell on all fours and released his built up turmoil. "I love her! I love her and I want to stop!"

Sympathising with the blue hedgehog, Shadow walked towards him and bent down in front of him. "Loving her won't guarantee your downfall."

"With Cryptic here, I was sure I'd save save her. If he was here, that guaranteed the good future, right? But Metal's been here this whole time, waiting for this moment to come. He is walking proof that I may fail to save her."

"There's still a chance to save her."

"Just as much chance of losing her..."

Shadow's hand rested on his shoulder. The fear of grief was preventing him from loving the pink girl. In an attempt to stop himself from becoming Metal and succumbing to his pain, he was fighting his emotions. A forbidden love. "The pain of regret will burn you a lot more than grief."

Sonic looked up at the black hedgehog. He hadn't thought about that. The what ifs hadn't come to mind. If he didn't love her enough the way he wanted to in the present, what if that became the cause of his downfall? He was looking at this the wrong way. To love her as much as he could while he still had the chance was all he could do. At least then, neither of them would be filled with penitence.

Mustering the strength to get back on his feet, Sonic gratefully nodded his head to his rival. "Thanks Shadow. I didn't think of it that way."

Shadow nodded back at him. "You'll still need to tell her-"

"Yeah, yeah. I know." A small smile appeared on his face. "I'll get on it." He started to walk passed him and prepared to take off. He then paused, thinking about the possibility of anyone knowing of his breakdown. "Uh, Shadow?" He turned to face the hedgehog. "If you could keep this between us-" He didn't need to finish his sentence as Shadow nodded back at him. "Thanks."

Not wasting another second, Sonic bolted back to Amy's house. After the emotion packed day he had, he was in need of her.

* * *

Sat on her sofa watching her favourite TV show, Amy tried to distract herself from the anxiety that was overwhelming her. After so many years of chasing Sonic and wanting to be his girlfriend, she finally got the opportunity to get close to him and now there was a possibility of losing him due to being caught with Shadow.

It was a simple, pleasant, completely platonic get together as friends to have tea and cake. It was regular thing for them. Every other Tuesday, Shadow would come over and they'd enjoy each other's company and just talk. If anything, Shadow had become a brother that she never had. He listened to her, gave her guidance and enjoyed her little activities.

Not that he was willing to admit that to anyone.

She had put their tea time on hold since Sonic was staying with her but after getting so close to the blue hedgehog, she just had to share the news with her friend.

Which could have possibly backfired on her in the worse way possible.

A harsh wind hit the back of the sofa, alerting her to turn around. She found her lover standing behind her. Examining him closely, she noticed tear stains on his cheeks. "Sonic?" She instantly got up and made her way to him. The choice to question him on the tears came to mind but she knew how awkward he could get when talking about feelings. "About Shadow being here. We were just-"

His lips smashed onto her own, stopping her from continuing her sentence. She gasped at the unexpected kiss and his bold behaviour but soon fell into the passionate moment. His kiss was hungry and impassioned, a sense of eagerness, intensely yearning. Overpowered by his love, Amy wrapped her arms around him lovingly yet mainly for support as her head span from the intensity. He grabbed her waist, pulling her close and clinging onto her tightly. He didn't dare let his grip loosen in fear of never being able to hold her again.

Unable to withstand anymore dizziness, Amy broke free of the kiss and panted frequently. "Wow..." She breathed out. He pulled her close once more, this time pulling her into his chest and holding her dearly. Startled, she hesitated to hug him back for a moment. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah." He finally answered her. He looked down at her, seeing her staring back at him looking somewhat concerned. "Everything's good when I'm with you." It was honestly strange to hear himself say something like that. Before all of this, it would have been blasphemy to say to her. Like unnecessarily offering false hope. Now, it just came out naturally.

Her smile made his heart skip a beat. "I'm so glad you're home... I thought I made you angry when you saw Shadow here... I kinda thought maybe you assumed the worst of me..." She blushed and looked away bashfully.

"I know you wouldn't do that, Ames. But what was he doing here anyway?"

She bit her lip. "You know I don't want to lie to you..."

Ah, she was about to drop a secret. He leaned close and grinned. "Your secret is safe with me."

Her lips involuntary smiled at his grin. "Okay... Shadow... helps me bake."

"What?" He laughed, imagining the ultimate lifeform wearing a pink, frilly apron and a chef's hat. "Are we talking about the same Shadow?"

"Yes. He's actually really good at decoration. He decorated the cake I made earlier. You can have some if you'd like."

"You bet! It's not everyday I get to try Shadow's artistic bakes."

"Just don't tell anyone! He knows you guys will mock him for it."

Sonic snickered, knowing how true that was. Then again, Shadow knew of his breakdown so with this information, they were even. "This stays with you, me and Shadow." He held one hand up. "I promise." She smiled back at him once more and kissed his cheek to show her gratitude. Releasing her from his grasp, his attention turned to the TV. "What'cha watching?" He leapt on the sofa to watch the show. It was a show about women trying in various wedding dresses.

"Oh!" Amy quickly rushed over to grab the remote. A show about wedding dresses sounded like Sonic repellent. "It's just a silly show. I'll turn it off." She held out the remote to the TV, allowing Sonic to grab her wrist and pull her into his lap. She gasped.

"Don't worry, Amy. We can watch this." He shifted slightly to get both of them in a comfortable position.

Amy looked back at him, doubting her own hearing. "You wanna watch this?"

"Sure. I have a good eye for fashion."

A blush appeared on her face as she dared to tease the idea of marriage so soon in their unconfirmed relationship. "Are you gonna pick my dress out?"

He hesitated to answer, making her immediately regret her teasing. She didn't dare look back at him again as she feared she had terrified him. To her surprise, he leaned forward and kissed her cheek as his arms laced around her. "Only the best for you." He whispered to her, making her blush deeply. Fighting back her giddiness, she relaxed in his arms and watched the TV with her unofficial partner.

"Now Valerie, Can you really say _Oh yes, that's my dress_ , to this dress?" The consultant asked the bride to be.

"No..." Sonic frowned. "Don't even say it..."

The woman stared at herself in the mirror, taking her time to answer the consultant. A smile appeared on her face as she made her decision. "Oh yes, that's my dress!" Her family and friends cheered for her whilst Sonic shook his head in disapproval.

"No way that's her choice. It's so basic and bland!"

"She did say she liked more traditional dresses..."

"There's traditional and then there's boring." He pointed to a mannequin behind the consultant. "That dress would have suited her."

Amy looked at the style of dress. A mermaid, off shoulder dress with diamonds decorating the bodice and a satin skirt trailing onto the floor. The pink hedgehog, looked rather disproving of the dress. "Mermaid dresses are overrated."

"But her body would compliment it. Shows off her assets yet leaves something to the imagination."

She looked back at him, raising her eyebrow. "Not that you were focusing on her breasts or anything..."

"No..." He hid his burning cheeks against her shoulder. "I'm simply noting that her body type would match a mermaid dress, not a ball gown."

"My ideal dress would have been a princess dress..." She told him. "That's similar to a ball gown."

"Hmm, I don't know... Would definitely match your personality. But to look at you..." He looked over her shoulder at her body, earning a pat on his forehead from the pink hedgehog. "Something like..." He looked back at the screen and looked at all the dresses the consultant was choosing for another bride. A particular dress caught his eye. "That one!"

She quickly focused her attention back on the screen. She saw his chosen dress was a princess A line dress with a sweetheart neckline and lacy sleeves, just slightly off the shoulders. The bodice had the same lace detailing that stopped at the hips. The skirt was tulle, decorated with lace detailing on the bottom. It was an elegant princess dress while holding a mature sophistication to it. "Oh I love it!"

"Told you I know my fashion." He smirked.

"I stand highly impressed." She giggled, nuzzling against his shoulder. She sighed contently. "Shadow's a professional baker and you're a professional stylist. I pick my friends well."

"As long as my profession stays with you and only you. I have a reputation to keep."

"Promise." She turned slightly to plant a kiss on his lips, sealing the deal on the secret. He placed his hand on her face and deepened the kiss to prevent her from pulling away. Giggling against his lips, she attempted to break free. "Sonic." She managed to pull away. "I have chores to get through."

"They can wait."

She rolled her eyes. "Not everything can wait."

"Chores definitely can. Besides..." He hoisted her up from his lap and placed her on the sofa. He towered over her, smirking at her surprised expression. "Would you rather do chores or be with me?"

Her cheeks burned a deep crimson at the new position they were in. Her younger self was practically screaming in her memory. All those years of wanting his attention, wanting him in every way, she knew her answer undoubtedly. "The answer will always be you." Her blush burned her.

"Good girl." He whispered before his lips met with hers.

With only two weeks remaining, he vowed to make their time together as treasured as possible. Somewhere in that time, she would have to know the truth.


	8. That Thing I Forgot To Mention

Chapter Eight: That Thing I Forgot to Mention

_Aurielle..._

_Aurielle..._

_Aurielle..._

_The name chimed through this realm of portrayals and fabrications. Scenes she couldn't quite remember nor understand passed her vision, echoing their own conversations and ambient sounds._

_"I know who you are, my darling Sonic."_

_"Attack!"_

_"I don't want any of this to end."_

_" **Aaaaaaahhh**!"_

_" **Aaaaammmmyyyy!"**_

_The sounds of soul shattering screams radiated through this unfamiliar realm, vibrating as the echoes travelled throughout the dimension. The visions picked up pace, hurling passed her until she was just a few feet away from this unknown figure who was facing away from her._

_A tall, slender hedgehog, fur reflecting her own hue with_ _long quills flowing to the tip of her small tail. Adorned in a regal, burgundy silk battle dress, plated with filigree armour plates on her small shoulders, under her bust and on the halter around her neck. Decorated with jade gemstones on her circlet and battle bracers. She was surrounded in an illuminating aura, a beckoning light that beckoned mere mortals to their knees._

_Slowly, the figure turned to face her, smiling brightly towards her and giving her a small wave. "Hi!"_

Alert, the pink hedgehog shot up in her bed, gasping loudly to her shock and confusion. Those visions... They were so real, so graphic. And that woman. She looked so familiar yet so unrecognisable. Was she real or was she just apart of a strange dream?

She had been so wrapped up in thought, she failed to notice Sonic was standing beside her bed. Their eyes met, lips slightly agape. "What are you doing?" Amy finally broke the silence.

Sonic blinked, thinking of an excuse to explain why he was in her room. "I... was making sure nobody was watching you."

"Nobody except you..." A grin appeared on her lips.

Shaking his head at her teasing, he sat beside her on the bed. "What was the dream about?" He asked, witnessing her glowing eye effect.

Amy looked down at her covers, reflecting on what she saw. "There were so many visions, I couldn't focus on any of them. I could just see them flying passed me."

"Did you get a glimpse of what was happening in the visions?"

"There was one with a red sky. Another with these children, these little hedgehogs; two boys and two girls. I saw you... at least, I think it was you? You looked taller, stronger and you were wearing this long, red cape and a crown on your head. Weird, I know."

He felt slightly relieved to hear her speak of her visions of their good future. "Anything else?" He dared to ask.

Unfortunately for him, she nodded. "I saw Doctor Eggman. He ordered an enormous army to attack. There were so many of them! Had to be thousands. There was a chilling scream, followed by you calling out to me... Then there was darkness."

He remembered her telling him of that particular vision before. Hearing both sides of the future didn't bring much hope but when he was speaking to a demigoddess with clairvoyant powers, both scenarios were to be expected.

"There was this woman there too. It was strange because she looked like me but she was so... celestial. She knew I was with her because she turned to face me and said hi."

"Hi?"

"Yeah. Just hi. Although, I think it was her who was calling out some girl's name. Aurora? No... Aura...?"

"Aurielle?" The name slipped off his tongue in a whisper. He flinched, surprised to hear himself say her real name.

"That was it! How'd you guess that?"

His mind went into overtime to find an answer to her question. "You were talking in your sleep..." He lied, mentally congratulating himself on his quick thinking.

She looked away bashfully. "Still... I wonder who this Aurielle is?"

From what he had heard, he concluded that the fates were trying to get in contact with her and tell her the truth. She needed to know. Promptly. Although, if he told her right away, their memory building would have to come to an end and militant procedures would be forced onto them. He had to tell her today but perhaps he'd give her something she'd always wanted as one of their final memories together.

"Hey Ames. Wanna go out?"

Coming out of her thoughts, she looked to her lover. "Sure. Where're we going?"

An unintentional blush appeared on his face. Feeling somewhat bashful to say the particular word, he got up from the bed and looked away from her. "On a date..."

Shock slapped onto her face the moment she heard that four lettered word come from his lips. "Y-you... you actually want to take me out... on an official date?"

Sonic held a sheepish smile, turning back to the girl and placing his hands behind his head. "That is, if you want to? No pressure..."

"Of course! Oh Sonic! It's like a dream come true!" She threw the covers off and tackled her lover to the floor, nuzzling against his cheek. "This is the best early birthday present you could ever give me." He chuckled at her ecstatic behaviour and relished in her affection. The little affection was cut brief as she shot to her feet and looked around in disorientation. "So much to do!" She appeared to be debating what to do. She soon rushed out the room and ran to the bathroom. "Gonna get ready!"

If he learnt anything in the time he had spent with her, he knew he was better off going for a run than waiting around for her. Jumping up from the floor, he raced out of the room and down the stairs, out of the front door. Today would be one of the greatest days she had ever experienced... before dropping the big bombshell on her.

* * *

After two hours of running, returning home to get himself ready and waiting, Amy was finally ready to leave the house. She rushed down the stairs and stood in front of the blue hedgehog who was resting on the sofa. "Ready! How do I look?"

Choosing a white, long sleeved, V-neck romper with white flat shoes, the girl span around in front of the hero, expecting a positive opinion to all her efforts.

Looking up at the pink female in front of him, he noticed the effort she has had put into her appearance. She had placed a small gold ring and a ruby red earring in her pierced right ear. It was now his favourite accessory of hers. Her currently wavy quills were his second favourite style. Her subtle makeup amplified her natural beauty, making her irresistibly pleasing.

Jumping up from his seat, he pulled her close and looked her up and down. "Cute."

"Cute?" She pushed away from him slightly. "I spent two hours getting ready, to be called cute?"

He playfully rolled his eyes. "Beautiful."

"That's better." She smirked back at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Dazzling, gorgeous... sexy."

An impish grin appeared on her pink glossed lips. "Even better." She said in a seductive voice before kissing her lover. Her intentionally brief kiss had become almost immediately amorous as Sonic's hand moved to the side of her face whilst he deepened the kiss. She moaned softly in response to the exhilarating rush she felt. Her soft sounds brought on desire to her lover as he pulled her even closer until he bridged the small gap between them. The feeling of her body against his own stirred the familiar feelings of lust. With the particular feeling clouding his judgement, his hands began to roam without consequence.

Feeling his hands moving up her back, her eyes opened slightly, alerted by his daring behaviour. With one hand slipping into her wavy hair and the other going to her hip, she found herself approving of his touch and closing her eyes once more.

The gentle touches he was giving her no longer satisfied his thirst. Eager to explore her and this all-round new outlet for his hormones, he moved his tongue against her lips, seeking permission through action. Though rather surprised, she was more than happy to accept his advances. The new level of passionate kissing opened their minds to another rush of excitement. Moaning in unison, they spilled their passion and exhilaration into their kiss.

The need for air broke their kiss, gradually bringing them down to a level of rationality. Slowly, they opened their eyes and looked at one another, giggling contently as they rested their foreheads against each other. "We'd better get going." Sonic said, taking her hand in his.

Amy used her free hand to wipe the smudged lipgloss off his lips. "Where are we going?"

He lifted her into his arms and gave her a wink. "You'll see."

* * *

To start their official date, the blue hero decided that getting the needs of the stomach out of the way before they went about their day. He had taken her to the Metropolis Shopping Centre and decided to take to the Pancake House. From there, he'd kill two birds with one stone. Breakfast and his next activity.

The pair sat in a booth, sat opposite each other. After checking out the menu, Amy had opted for mixed berries on her pancakes whilst Sonic had chosen spiced apple and cream.

"Thanks for buying me breakfast, Sonic. I got so excited about the date, I forgot to make us breakfast." Amy giggled at her previous hasty behaviour.

"Don't mention it. It's about time I returned the favour after all the meals you've cooked for me."

"I like to cook for you. It's nice to have someone to cook for other than myself." Her smile faded and was replaced with a frown. She looked away so her lover couldn't see. "I'll miss making you meals everyday once this is all over."

He tilted his head in confusion. "When what's all over?"

"You know, the whole bodyguard thing. We can't find anything out of the ordinary going on at night so maybe it was just me being paranoid."

With all the time they had spent together, his main focus had been building memories with her. Being her bodyguard had just barely been a priority. He hadn't even thought about that coming to an end.

"Just because we haven't found anything, doesn't mean we won't find anything. It could take weeks or even years to find out who's been spying on you." He told her, taking a bite of his pancakes.

She appeared to be surprised but quickly changed her facial expression to show her agreement. "You're right. This investigation could take a while." She took a bite of her breakfast. "Although, judging by you standing over me this morning, I still think you're the one I need to look out for." She smirked.

"I told you. That was apart of my investigation!"

"Sure..."

"Are you ever gonna let me live this down?"

"Hmm... Nope."

He gave her an exasperated expression. "Even if I tell you what we're doing next?"

She pondered for a moment before nodding. "What are we doing next?"

Looking towards the exit, Sonic looked at the other shops opposite the Pancake House. With an array of different shops, he intended to take her shopping. "We're going shopping. Gotta get you something for your birthday, don't I?"

Her eyes danced with excitement. "Aw, Sonic. You do spoil me."

He smiled sheepishly. He watched her dreamy gaze at him, one all too familiar. Her eyes were almost dazzling with infatuation. In the midst of watching her staring back at him in her dream state, he failed to notice that he too began to stare lovingly back at her.

Smiling at one another, the hedgehogs continued to eat their breakfast, admiring one another on occasion.

* * *

Finishing their pancakes, the pair wondered around the shopping centre. After looking into various shops, they ended up in a clothes store. Sonic watched as Amy whizzed around the store and gushed over different items of clothing. She had gathered enough clothes to create a pile for Sonic to carry to the fitting room.

Waiting outside her fitting room door _,_ Sonic checked his communicator for messages from his best friend. As expected, he had received one in the mid morning, telling him to fulfil his duty and tell the demigoddess who she was. And he intended to do so, once their date was over.

"What do you think of this one?" Amy asked, stepping out in a cute, white and pink skater dress. A halter neck, sleeveless dress that resembled her former red dress she once acquired. She turned to the full length mirror within her dressing room and checked herself out.

Sonic looked her up and down. "It's... Nice." He wore his true emotion on his face. Unimpressed, and indifferent.

"You don't like it..." She said as a matter of fact after reading his expression.

He smiled apologetically. "It's a nice dress. I just don't think it's for you."

She turned back to the mirror. "But this is my kind of style..."

He got up from his seat and looked around. Seeing no one in sight, he dashed into her dressing room and pulled her back in. Locking the door behind them, he turned her towards the mirror and untied the ribbon from the back of her neck.

Amy gasped, realising he was undressing her. "What are you doing?"

Moving the fabric down, along with the straps of her bra, he gave her the fabric to hold around her chest area. "You have nice shoulders." He said, looking at her reflection. "You cover up too much."

A blush appeared on her cheeks. "Do you expect me to show my chest like Rouge then?" She frowned, bitter with minor envy towards their bat friend.

"No." His finger brushed against her collar bone. "Here."

Her body quivered to the gentle touch. Looking at herself in the mirror, she stared with wonder. While she was overall pleased with her body, hearing Sonic appreciate her, especially in a more insignificant place, made her feel truly exceptional.

He turned to the other pieces of clothing she had picked out and started to scan through them. Realising all the dresses and tops would cover her the features he was hoping to see, he decided to find something for her himself. "Be right back." He told her right before he dashed around the store to find her an ideal outfit. The ideal dress had to have her original style but also cater to a more sophisticated, mature version of Amy. It would be her birthday outfit after all. She had to look even better than she already did.

Scanning the racks, the blue hedgehog was indecisive of what dress to pick. They were either too adventurous for the pink girl or too plain to be considered. Just as he was about to change the image he had in his head, a particular dress caught his eye just as he was running passed. He walked backwards and gawped at the dress.

A sky blue, off the shoulder, high low dress with a sweetheart neckline. It was still in Amy's choice of style and showed off one of her best features that she just loved to hide away.

Grabbing her size and rushing back to the dressing room, he made sure nobody could see him before entering her particular dressing area. "Found you this."

She turned to face him and the dress. Admittedly, she had seen that dress as she was whizzing around the store but she had assumed it wouldn't suit her. The colour would have clashed with her fur, that maybe she didn't have the right shape for such a dress. Though if Sonic believed it was an ideal dress for her, that was definitely her ideal dress.

Dressing into the new dress, she turned to face the mirror and was surprised to see her reflection. The blue surprisingly complimented the colour of her fur. Her curves accentuated by the fabric hugging her waist and the way the skirt had a graceful train at the back but was short at the front to show off her legs was an elegant look.

She span around in the dress and gleamed with giddiness. "I love it." She said breathlessly, still flabbergasted by her appearance.

"Now this is a dress!" Sonic approved, looked at her reflection in the mirror. "So, Amy Rose. Is this your dress?" He mocked the consultant from her favourite TV show.

She giggled at his imitation. "Yes. That is my dress." She looked down at the price tag attached to the dress. She gasped at the price. "Or not! 87 Rings for one dress?!"

"No worries, Amy. It's a birthday present, remember?"

She looked up at him. "Are you sure? I can get something else." He shook his head in response. Overjoyed, she excitedly pulled him into a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She thanked him cheerfully.

He chuckled at her happiness. "Don't mention it."

Comforted by the warmth of each other's bodies, the pair contently remained in their embrace. The blue boy's hand moved from her back, to her waist, feeling her now accentuated curves behind the fitted material. He caressed her hips and waist, mentally admiring her shape.

His caresses roused the desires from earlier that day. Amy pulled away slightly and looked into his eyes, showing her longing for him in her own.

Realising he had unintentionally stirred certain emotions, Sonic reviewed the situation in his head. Even if they were closed off in a private room, they were still very much in public. The particular store they were in was currently not too busy luckily but that didn't mean there wasn't a chance they'd get caught in the same cubicle.

Then again, the thought of being up to no good in such a dangerous position was making him feel the same desires as her. Throwing away his rationality, he pulled the girl into a kiss and allowed himself to get lost in the moment.

With amorous intent, the couple passionately kissed and fondled, expelling their yearning ferociously. Without much thought, Amy pressed her body against her lover's, forcing him against the side wall, continuing to spill her lust into the kiss. A moan escaped him, finding he rather enjoyed her being dominating. This only stirred the need for her even more. His hands moved down to her derriere and picked her up. As he expected, her legs wrapped around his waist, bringing them closer.

Gripping onto him tightly, Amy moaned into the kiss, too far from reality to consider where they were or what they were doing. Feeling his hands squeezing her lustfully as their kiss deepened, she blissfully forgot the world around her and absorbed all his touches and kisses.

The sound of knocking on the door quickly brought them down to reality as they broke their kiss and turned towards the fitting room door. "Is everything okay in there, miss?" Asked one of the shop's members of staff.

Alarmed, the hedgehogs looked at one another, both sharing the same worried expression. They looked back at the door, hoping the staff member would eventually leave.

Unfortunately, she didn't. "Miss?"

The girl in his arms faded from sight, somewhat startling him in the process. Still feeling the invisible girl in his arms, he placed her back on the floor and opened the door.

The shop worker was surprised to see him standing before her. "Oh, I'm sorry, sir."

"That's okay." He noticed her peering behind him at all the clothes that were hung up. He quickly looked back to ensure Amy was still invisible. Relieved to see she was, he turned back to the woman in front of him. She appeared to be baffled. "Oh, those are for me." Referring to the clothes. The girl's giggling came from behind him, forcing him to cover her laughter with his own.

Guessing the sounds she had heard were from his struggle to get into the outfits, she gave him a big smile. "May I suggest getting a size up, sir? For comfortability?"

Forcing a smile to hide his embarrassment, he slowly closed the door on her. "Thanks, but no thanks." He closed the door and waited a couple of seconds for the woman to leave. Once he was certain she was gone, he looked around for the pink hedgehog.

Gradually, Amy appeared beside the body length mirror. "Did... Did she not see me?" She looked down at her hands and then back at Sonic. "Just now, you looked around... You couldn't see me?"

Not knowing what to say, he simply blinked at her, gormless.

Amy looked back down at her hands. "What just happened..." She questioned herself aloud. She was starting to notice these changes were happening around her. The dreams, the unexplained phenomenons that she had previously assumed were from the chaos emeralds. They were happening increasingly and the more these things happened, the more she questioned why they always happened around her.

Sonic grabbed her hand, distracting her from her thoughts. "Come on. Let's get your clothes and get out of here." He told her. She nodded back at him, returning the smile he was giving her. As she got dressed back into her white romper, she couldn't help but think Sonic knew something about these strange occurrences.

Having paid for the clothes, the hedgehogs left the shopping centre and went for a run, landing them in the Mystic Ruins. The pair rested in a field, Sonic relaxed against the grass while Amy picked various flowers into a small bouquet.

He watched as she pleasantly sniffed the flowers in her hands. A frown appeared on his face, knowing he was about to take that smile away with what he had to tell her. He took a deep breath and was about to start that unwanted conversation when she beat him to it.

"Random question here..." She began.

"Okay, shoot."

"About the chaos emeralds and their upgrade... They only respond to you, right?"

He appeared gormless once more, startled by that particular question. Knowing she was catching on, he knew he had to tell her. He sat up and faced her. "Ames... I have to tell you something."

"Ssh!" She stopped him from saying anything. She looked around them rapidly. "Can you hear that?" She got up from the ground and span around.

_Aurielle..._

_Aurielle..._

The voice was no longer in her mind. It was a calling in the surroundings. A loud echoing that was travelling in the wind.

Amy span on her heel towards the sky. "You seriously can't hear that?!"

"Hear what?" The blue hedgehog jumped to his feet and listened carefully. "I can't hear anything." The sound of his communicator buzzing alerted him. Looking down at his communicator, he saw Tails's name appear on the small screen. He answered his best friend. "Before you say anything, I'm working on that thing, alright?"

"Sonic! The Master Emerald's going crazy! You gotta get to Angel Island now!" Tails exclaimed into the communicator.

Baffled, Sonic looked up at the sky, towards the floating island in the distance. From his position, he could see a faint light coming from the Master Emerald.

_Aurielle..._

_Aurielle..._

_Aurielle..._

Her eyes fixated on the floating island, also noticing the distant light coming from the island. The voice was coming from Angel Island. Drawn to the voice, Amy took off towards the distant island.

Seeing the girl taking off at high speed, Sonic quickly followed suit. "Tails. Meet me there. Whatever's happening, it has something to do with Amy." He hung up the call and sped up in pursuit of the pink hedgehog.

The voice echoed loudly around her, pulling her closer to the island. Watching the light getting increasingly brighter as she got near the island, Amy was determined to find out who this person was. The person who had appeared in her dreams. Was she on the island? Did she have the answers to the questions in her head? She sped up, eager to learn more.

"Amy, wait!" Sonic called out to her.

Amy looked to her left to see Sonic running just as fast, beside her. "I need to know who she is!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"That voice from my dreams! She's calling out to that Aurielle girl! If I get there before her, I can find out what's been happening with me!"

He gave her a look of unease. "About that, Ames... I've been meaning to tell you ever since I moved in."

"What?"

_Amy Rose... I'm waiting for you._

Looking up at the island, Amy gasped as the voice spoke her name. "She's calling me." She said quietly. Determined to get onto the island, Amy leapt into the sky, reaching the island with ease. Sonic followed her actions, landing near the Master Emerald shrine.

Knuckles stood at the bottom of the shrine, covering his eyes from the blinding light. He turned to see Sonic and Amy approaching. "Stay back!" He demanded. "The Master Emerald is reacting to something."

"We think it's a message." Sonic said, covering his eyes from light.

"A message? From who? Nobody's been able to transmit anything through the Master Emerald since the ancients!"

_I'm waiting for you, Amy Rose..._

Covering her eyes from the light, Amy rushed up the steps of the shrine. She paused in front of the Master Emerald, overwhelmed by it's power.

"GET DOWN FROM THERE!" Knuckles screamed out to her. He was about to run and get her when Sonic held him back.

_Touch the Master Emerald and learn who you are._

Hesitant, she slowly reached out for the Master Emerald and placed her hand on it. The giant emerald reacted to her touch and absorbed her inside. The light from the jewel vanished instantly.

Running up the steps, Sonic looked around to find Amy was out of sight. "Amy?" He called out to her. Seeing a glimmer from the Master Emerald, he soon realised she had been teleported inside. "Amy!"

* * *

Looking around at the blank realm she had appeared in, Amy slowly walked forward, approaching the same woman from her dreams. She was facing away from her again, adorned in the same battle dress. She stopped a few steps away from her, nervously squeezing her hands into fists. "I'm here..." She made her presence known.

The woman turned to her, smiling brightly as she had in her dreams. "Hi!" She greeted her in a merry tune. "I'm so glad I finally got hold of you. I guess calling you Aurielle didn't help..." She giggled.

Amy tilted her head. "My name isn't Aurielle..." She pointed out.

The older woman tutted. "So Sonic hasn't told you who you are yet? For the fastest thing alive, he can be awfully slow at times. But don't worry, you'll be grateful for that under the sheets." She winked mischievously.

Amy's mouth dropped open in disbelief. How would this woman know about that? "Okay, just who are you and how do you know Sonic?" She demanded, her jealousy showed through her anger.

Raising an eyebrow, the woman laughed. "Sweetie, isn't it obvious?" Amy didn't respond. "I am you. Aurielle Paeonia, Goddess of Chaos. Liberator of Tyranny, Bringer of Justice and Salvation, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." Amy blinked back at her older self. The woman looked back at Amy's reaction. "I know. Such a pretentious name, isn't it?

This information was like a bullet to the head. Stunning, mortifying and all so sudden. "Wha-"

Her older self winced visibly, gripping onto her abdomen in pain. She panted frequently before regaining composure. "Unfortunately, I can't explain everything right now. I'm a little preoccupied in my reality. But, I can show you." She said, walking towards the pink hedgehog, she placed her hands on her head. She smiled sheepishly. "This may sting a little." She said as she closed her eyes.

The images of the past and future filled her mind, causing her gasp in shock. She could see all her dreams in front of her, along with her scenes of her childhood, distinct events in her life, a conversation with Tails, Sonic and Cryptic, Metal Sonic and her future self with Sonic and their children standing with her. Everything she was, all that was to become of her now resided in her mind.

Removing her hands from the girl's head, the older Amy smiled down at her younger self. "I know this is a lot to take in but as you now know, our lives are at risk and we must act now if we're to survive." She turned away and walked in the opposite direction. "Well... At least act after tonight anyway..." She giggled once more. Facing her again, her body began to fade and the previous light returned. "Now, go and give that man of ours a piece of our mind!"

The overwhelming light surrounded her, forcing her to cover her eyes from it's magnificence. The light covered her, teleporting her out of the Master Emerald and back to the shrine.

* * *

"How long has she been in there?" Tails asked the his friends as they stood around the Master Emerald.

"A good ten minutes, I'd say." Knuckles crossed his arms. "What's going on, anyway? For the first time in centuries, there's a transmission from the Master Emerald and Amy happens to be the one that answers it?"

"Amy's the last known member of the Vessel Clan." Tails answered the echidna.

Knuckles looked back at the fox in bewilderment. "You're kidding?! The Vessels were wiped out nearly two decades ago. You're saying Amy's one of them?" He pondered. "So the tales are true..."

"You know about this Clan?" Sonic asked the red male.

"Yes. There was a tale that foretold the coming of a mortal embodiment of Chaos. That one day, they'd find another user of Chaos and together, they'd forge a dynasty under what they'd call the Chaos Order. I never believed it myself after hearing the last remaining members of the Vessels had been killed on Mercia."

"H-her Imperial Majesty was the last remaining member to escape the clutches of Doctor Eggman. Sh-she now lives by her adopted and mortal name, Amy Rose." Cryptic explained.

Knuckles gawped at the advisor. "Who are you?"

The advisor bowed. "My name is C-Cryptic. It is an honour to b-be in your presence again, Master Knuckles."

Too astounded to reply, Knuckles just stared at the man. As if reading his mind, Sonic stepped in to answer Knuckles's unspoken question. "He's from the future."

Nodding back at the hedgehog, Knuckles stared back at the Master Emerald, shocked by the information he had been given. "To think... Amy, a goddess..." His thoughts lead him to look at the blue hedgehog once more. "If the tale is true, then..."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm the Channeler that turns her into a breeding machine." Sonic said nonchalantly.

The echidna looked away. "That's even more surprising." He chuckled softly. "Guess you finally gave in to Amy's advances, huh?" Knuckles and Tails laughed.

"Yeah, okay. Get it out of your systems..." He rolled his eyes at his friends.

"No denial either." Knuckles laughed. The laughter cut short by the illuminating light that came from the Master Emerald. Jumping back and covering their eyes, the men braced themselves for whatever came out the giant jewel.

In a flash, Amy appeared above them, hovering over the Master Emerald, eyes shining the piercing light. She soon dropped to her feet, rising from the ground slowly.

"Amy!" Sonic dashed in front of the pink hedgehog.

He was met with a face like thunder. "I am Aurielle Paeonia, Goddess of Chaos, Liberator of Tyranny, Bringer of Justice and Salvation... Only, you already knew that! You've been living with me for nine weeks and you haven't told me who I am and what's gonna happen?!" She yelled at him.

Nerved by her anger, Sonic stepped back, chuckling nervously and held his hands up in defense. "I was literally gonna tell you right before you ran off."

"You didn't think to tell me weeks ago?!" She placed her hands on her hips. Not wanting to continue this conversation in front of their friends any longer, Amy stepped in front of her lover and rested her forehead against his. "We're going home. Now."

By command the hedgehogs teleported out of sight and back to Amy's house, leaving their friends to watch their leave in astonishment.


	9. Til Death Do Us Part

Chapter Nine: Til Death Do Us Part

In a flash, the hedgehogs appeared in Amy's living room, hovering above the sofa and loveseat momentarily before falling to the ground. Sonic landed on his feet, next to the sofa. He dashed to the opposite side of the room to catch his lover before she could hit the ground. Still strongly tempered, the pink hedgehog pushed her hand against his chest, pushing herself out of his arms.

"Get away from me." She said sternly, walking to the opposite side of the room.

"Ames." Sonic followed her. "I'm sorry, okay-?"

"Sorry?" She turned to face him, showing him her wrinkled features from her anger. "That's all you can say after you lied to me all this time, about literally everything?! You knew about my true identity, of my powers and..." She swallowed hard, feeling the pit of her stomach. Her hand rested on her chest, feeling the sensation of her stomach threatening to puke it's contents out from her anxiety. "You knew that Metal was watching me sleep at night even before you moved in. You didn't think to tell me? Knowing full well how I feel about him?"

"If you knew Metal was watching you, you wouldn't have slept ever again! It may not look obvious but I did this for you!" He argued, trying to get his point across. She stared back at him, dumbfounded by his logic.

"How...?" She contemplated his logic. "How was any of this meant to benefit me?"

With the love of his life questioning his motives, he too began to doubt his choices. He faltered his words. "When you told me you felt like life was passing you by, I wanted you to experience everything you've always wanted."

"Until what? My inevitable death? I-" She immediately paused and appeared to be lost in thought. She turned back to him in horror and disbelief. "Did you-" She paused again, mentally praying she was wrong. "All of this, the trips, doing everything I wanted, being... Whatever we are... Was this all apart of your goodbye? To make me live the most of life whilst I could?"

He tried to speak false words but was unable to talk. His hesitation confirmed her dread. "Oh..." She said, covering her mouth as she sat down on the loveseat. "Oh... Oh god!" She panted in a state of shock. Everything she believed about their new budding relationship was shattering in her mind. She had believed that the man of her dreams had fallen for her in their time together. That their unspoken romance was one grown from genuine emotion and mutual attraction. It had all been a lie?

Agonised by the sight of her turmoil, the blue hedgehog wanted nothing more than to hold her close and tell her everything was going to be okay. Not knowing her level of anger prevented him from carrying out the actions. "Amy..." He somewhat cautiously knelt down in front of her. "I am sorry..."

"I really thought... That you and I... That we were." Tears streamed down her face as and fell onto her lap, She looked up at him, tears continuing to fall. "This wasn't love, was it? This was just you saying goodbye to me..."

"What?" He gasped, horrified by her accusation. She rose to her feet, knocking him over in the process.

"That's why you've been so overly nice to me this whole time! How stupid of me to actually think you had fallen in love with me. Even after all these years of your rejection and repulse, I still actually believed what we had was real. God, I'm such an idiot!"

"Amy." Sonic got up from the floor and walked over to the pink hedgehog, grasping her shoulders as he stood before her. "It's not like that at all." He sighed as he looked away momentarily. "I mean, yes, it started off as a way of building memories with you but then it became more than that..." He breathed out his nerves. "You have to believe me, _this_ , you and me, it's real!"

She appeared to be distrustful. "How am I supposed to believe anything you say after you kept everything you knew about me and the future to yourself?!"

"You know I'm telling the truth! This woman in your dreams, the one who sent you a message through the Master Emerald, she showed you a part of our future, didn't she?" His lover looked away, refusing to answer him. "In the future, you will be my wife. We'll have a stupid amount of children and we'll rule over this world." She looked back at him, her face still disgruntled with distrust. He knew she had seen this future, just as she had seen her potential death. Her distrust came from his own feelings towards her.

She wanted reassurance in his love.

"Read my mind." He told her. "You've done it before, you can do it now. Then you'll know I'm being honest."

Her face remained displeased before she relaxed her features and closed her eyes. She focused on him, attempting to read his mind. Her succession was a slow process due to lack of experience and knowledge. She tried to focus on the objective she was looking for, from him. His emotions. With a clear goal, she was able to tap into his mind.

Images of his emotional battle against himself about his love for her filled her mind. His denial, the fight with his urges, his pain and confusion. She had seen him standing over her bed, watching her with rogue tears falling on occasion. She had witnessed his overwhelmed outburst to Shadow in regards to his love for her and probably the worse image of all, she saw what his love for her would turn him into.

Alarmed, her eyes snapped open and she walked backwards, hitting into the wall. She covered her mouth, as her eyes filled with fresh tears. "Sonic..." She whispered softly, a sob escaped her. "Metal's..."

"Yeah." He looked away, ashamed of his possible fate.

Devastation covered her face. How could this be true? If she died, Sonic would become... Her worse nightmare? A destroyer of the world he had worked so hard to defend? It couldn't be possible. She couldn't have been petrified of her hero this whole time, could she? Slowly, Amy approached her lover, touching his cheek tenderly. "Oh Sonic." She cried. "I... I..."

"It's okay." He tried to reassure her as he pulled her in close. "I'll defeat Doctor Eggman, no problem. As long as you're alive, that won't happen."

"But even you doubt your own abilities to save me. That was why you never told me about who I was, what will happen. You didn't want to believe you could lose everything." She gave him a sorrowful look.

He gave her a sheepish smile, knowing her words were true. "I guess all we can do is give it our all."

Amy nodded back at him. She looked away solemnly, thinking of the little time she had left. "There's a chance I'll never get married..." She scoffed at herself. "Sorry. Of all the things I could get upset about." She scoffed again, this time, with tears in her eyes.

He could see her trying to hold herself together with great effort. Of course. This was the same girl who would chase him to each end of the world just to propose to him. Her lifelong dream was to be his wife, his bride. With just a week away from the war, her dreams of being his bride were greatly threatened.

That sprang a bulb in his mind. "You still can be a bride, Ames." She raised her eyebrow quizzically. "Give me 30 minutes and you'll see." He kissed her forehead as he quickly dashed upstairs, leaving her to once again, question his motives. He soon dashed back downstairs and opened the front door before turning to her. "Made you a bath. Back soon." He said just as he rushed out the door.

Blinking continuously from confusion, Amy shrugged to herself and went upstairs to have her bath. Whatever he was planning, she'd surely find out within the hour.

* * *

Her curiosity was killing her. She had heard him enter the house roughly ten minutes ago and from her intense listening, she could hear him rushing in and out of her room. He had even shown his face in the bathroom. After hanging up what appeared to be one of her white nightgowns, the blue hedgehog simply winked at her and told her he'd have everything ready in another ten minutes before leaving her to bathe.

Ten minutes until what? Til bedtime? Why would she need a nightgown? It was only late afternoon.

She decided to wash herself once more to prevent herself from overthinking Sonic's plan. Once she was done, she stepped out of the bath and performed her usual skincare routine before dressing herself in the nightgown. It had to have been more than ten minutes since he spoke to her.

Opening the door, Amy peaked her head out and looked down the hall. Her eyes immediately captured the various miniature candles leading to her room. Alongside the trail of candles were also red and pink rose petals. Smiling brightly, she made her way down the hall and peered into her bedroom. She gasped at the scene.

Her room had been decorated into a romantic fantasy. Red balloons furnished almost every inch of her floor. Candles decorated her nightstand and chest of drawers, giving off the scent of cherries. In the midst of all the romantic decoration was Sonic, holding the bunch of flowers she had picked earlier on their date, wrapped in what looked like a rubber band.

"Not too bad, right?" He looked around the room at his own efforts, feeling rather impressed with himself.

Amy covered her mouth with both hands, looking around the room with adoration. "Oh wow... I've always seen stuff like this in the movies but I never imagined I'd experience something like this for myself."

Sonic chuckled nervously as he playfully kicked the balloons to calm his nerves. "That's where I got the idea from. Couldn't carry a dozen bunches of roses back but I hope the balloons are a good substitute."

The floating balloons landing in her hands. She played with the balloons, hitting them gently back into the air. "Much more fun than flowers." She smiled. "But... What's all this for?" She questioned him.

Sonic walked up to his lover and gave her the bouquet of flowers. "You said you've always wanted to marry me so..." She gasped as he got down on one knee and pulled out a pack of gummy rings from his back quills. The couple laughed at the substitute for an engagement ring. "It was either these or a plastic ring at the store."

"Jewelry a girl can eat? Sounds much more appealing than a plastic ring." She giggled.

Sonic pulled out two gummy rings for them to eat. He shortly pulled out a third one and held Amy's left hand in his. "Amy Rose... Or Aurielle Paeonia, whatever you're calling yourself these days." He grinned. "You've always given me all that I didn't deserve and now, I want to spend the rest of our lives, giving you all that you've given me and more... Will you marry me?"

Overwhelmed with happiness, Amy wiped her tears that were falling down her cheeks and nodded excitedly. "Yes!" She pulled her lover into a loving embrace as he rose to his feet. "I don't have to actually wear the ring, do I?" She asked, pulling away from her hero. "As much as I love it, it might get a little sticky."

The blue hedgehog rolled his eyes playfully in response."I knew I should have bought a plastic one." They laughed. She took the ring from him and ate it. Sonic acted offended. "I'm not a genius on this romantic stuff but isn't eating the ring considered a rejection?"

She choked on the gummy sweet in the midst of her giggling. "Usually, people don't propose with gummy rings."

"Hey. Only the finest for my girl." He chuckled. "Now the engagement's out the way, time for the wedding!"

Amy looked down at her Sonic plushie doll that was sat up, on the edge of the bed, looking in their direction. She guessed he was a witness to their matrimony. "We only have one witness. There has to be two."

Sonic frowned. "Alright." He turned to her drawers and picked up a framed photograph of the two of them in Spagonia. He placed the picture on the bed, next to the Sonic plushie. "There. Now we have three witnesses. Sonic junior and Sonic and Amy of the past."

Amused by his quick thinking, she giggled softly, placing the bouquet beside her plushie and rejoining Sonic in the little ceremony. He took her hands in his. "Who's going to officiate the marriage?"

"Me, obviously. I've watched enough Tv to know exactly what to say." He cleared his throat and spoke in a slightly different tone to his usual voice. "Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the matrimony of Sonic The Hedgehog and Amy Rose. Also known as, Aurielle Paeonia. Goddess of Chaos, Bringer of Justice and Salvation, Liberator of-"

"Sonic." She raised an eyebrow at him, not wanting to hear that title in the middle of their little ceremony.

He grinned to show his jest. "Today, we witness the joining of two hedgehogs, bound together by fate and more importantly... By love."

"Aw, Sonic." Amy gushed.

Sonic looked down at his shoes bashfully. A blush appeared on his face as he realised his knowledge on weddings had now spent. He leaned towards her and whispered to her. "I don't know what comes next."

She tittered. "There's the exchange of vows and rings, the pronouncement and the kiss."

"Thanks." He smiled at her. "We'll now move onto the vows." He scratched his head bashfully. "Uh..." He contemplated what to say.

Amy noticed the cluelessness on Sonic's face. "Don't worry, I'll go first. I've had a lot of time to memorise them." She looked down at their hands and gently squeezed before looking back into his eyes. "Sonic, before we met, my life lay dormant. I was living yet I wasn't alive. I felt as though I had meaning but that meaning was out of my reach. That was when destiny brought me to you and from that moment, I knew in my heart, in my soul, that you were my reason I was alive. Since then, you have given me a life I could never imagine. Adventure, romance, heartache. I live a wonderful life with no regret because you're in it." Tears fell down her cheeks as the overwhelming love and adoration she felt for her hero became too much for her. "Sorry." She looked down at the ground and tried to compose herself.

Moved by her words, Sonic moved his hands up to her face and wiped away her tears. "Hey, don't cry, Ames." He tried to console her.

Her hand covered his own as she looked back at him. "I'm just so happy right now and I have so much to say..." She choked back a sob. "I love you... so much." She exhaled deeply, trying to compose herself once more.

He smiled helplessly, wiping her tears away as they fell. Feeling his own heart pounding against his chest, he felt it was his time to get his emotions off his chest and finally reveal the mutual love she had waited so long for. "Amy..." He said soothingly, grabbing her attention. "I've never been one to believe in fate. With everything that's coming our way, I can honestly say I'm still not a fan of it, but... Meeting you, was fate. I chose to become your friend but feeling like this, the way I feel for you, that was completely out of my control. Now, I'm not gonna lie to ya, I did fight it. I didn't understand these things I was feeling and it was easier if I didn't feel them. But then I realised that I didn't want to fight it. I wanted all of this. The marriage, the kids, you. I don't think falling for you was fate. I think it was an accident but it's the best accident I could've asked for."

She exhaled in amusement. "You really do have a way with words..." She giggled, placing her forehead against his.

Assuming she didn't understand exactly what he was trying to explain, he brought his finger to her chin and lifted her head to look back at him. He breathed heavily, exhaling a fraction of his jittering nerves. "I-" Another shaky breath escaped him. Closing his eyes briefly, he gained more control over his nerves and looked back at Amy. He smiled contently. "I love you."

Fresh tears spilled out of her eyes as the words she had waited so long to hear came from his lips. She sobbed as she pulled him into a crushing hug. "Oh Sonic! I've waited so long to hear you say that! I love you too!"

"Amy..." Sonic struggled to breathe. "Ames. It's a wedding... Not a funeral..."

She released him from her grip with a gasp. "Sorry! I got a little excited..."

"I noticed..." He rubbed his chest. After regaining his breath, he took out a gummy ring from the packet sitting beside the witnesses on the bed. "We will now move onto the ring exchange." He said in his previously altered toned. Holding up the ring in front of them, Sonic began the ring exchange. "With this ring, I pledge to you all that I am and all I'll ever be as your husband, father of the seven-too-many children we'll have and your most loyal worshipper."

Amy laughed at his referral to their future children. She accepted the sweet in his hand and ate the ring. As Sonic did before her, she took a ring from the sweet packet and held it in front of them. "May this ring be a promise that my love for you will be everlasting and a continuous reminder of my devotion to you. I am honoured to be known as your wife, the mother of our seven-too-many children and your goddess."

"Uh, it's demigoddess. Don't be giving yourself a promotion in ascendence, Amy." He jokingly corrected her.

"Quiet or I'll use my powers on you."

"Punishing your disciple. You're a mean goddess."

"Oh I don't know. I think you'd like the form of punishment." She smirked at him, placing the gummy ring in his mouth.

He gulped hard and coughed slightly after swallowing. Ignoring the minor blush on his face, he pulled his bride into his arms and continued with the pronouncement. "With all that other stuff out of the way, I declare Sonic The Hedgehog and Amy Rose as husband and wife. And the crowd goes wild!" He pointed to their witness, earning nothing but a deadly silence. He scratched his head awkwardly. "We need a better audience."

Amy rolled her eyes, sighing at Sonic's foolish antics. "Come here." She said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a kiss, sealing their matrimony.

While he was, at first, caught off guard, the blue male soon found himself melting into her affection. Eyes rolling to the back his head, he grabbed her hips and moulded their bodies into one form. Passion ignited in their union. A mutual kiss of tenderness and adoration shortly deepened to one of a heated, burning desire. Her want could not be tamed. Eager to explore the unknown levels of intimacy, Amy dominated the kiss and moved her hands to his chest, delicately tracing his hard earned muscles. Though hesitant in his own roaming, he allowed her to gain control of the kiss.

He could feel himself slipping out of a state of logic and into a blissful realm of pleasure. With the last bit of his logic, he broke the kiss before their passion could escalate. He held her at arm's length and smiled reassuringly, failing to notice the disappointment on her face. "Don't worry, we can skip the honeymoon."

"Must we?" Amy asked, startling the blue hedgehog. She grabbed his hand and held it close to her chest. "If anything does happen to us in this war, I don't want to die knowing I never had the chance to show you just how much I love you."

Sonic stared in bewilderment, feeling the burn on his cheeks at the thought of performing such intimacy. "But-" He immediately cleared his throat after hearing his own voice breaking from his shock. "I mean, are you sure?"

Amy nodded in response. "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought of it before and with the possibility of dying hanging on my shoulders, we don't have the luxury of time to wait." She squeezed his hand lovingly. "I'll show you how much you mean to me, if you'll let me."

A part of his conscience was starting to question his hesitation. She did have a point. Time was against them and if there was a time to do anything, it would be in this moment. Logic and reason had to take a back seat and allow instinct to take over.

He showed his agreement through action, kissing her tenderly as he allowed his carnal desires to take lead. He reserved some control to ensure she was at the same level of passion before he made a daring move.

Amy swooned into the kiss, pressing her body against his own. A pleasured grunt escaped him as he felt the warmth and feel of her body through the thin silk material. Though tempted, Sonic held back his urge to rip the nightgown off of her but eagerly ran his hands down her sides, occasionally gripping onto the fabric tightly to withstand the urges.

Showing him her readiness for more, Amy deepened the kiss, sensually caressing all over his body with a hint of desperation. Years of longing influenced her actions. With Sonic happily receiving her love and more than happy to return the affection, she found herself unable to hold back.

Sonic read her body language and responded promptly, granting his hands to fondle and tease her with sweet caresses and groping. Hearing her moan softly to his touches excited him, stirring his primal instincts. A low groan sent a shiver down his lover's spine as his hands moved south to her thighs, moving the fabric up and squeezing her derriere. Amy moaned back into the kiss, overcome with the fever of their steamy session.

The nightgown was now deemed an unnecessary barrier. Longing to feel her bare body against his own, Sonic broke their kiss and pulled down the straps of her nightgown and guided the piece of clothing down until it dropped to the floor, leaving his partner exposed to him. His eyes feasted on her beauty, scanning her from head to toe. His greed got the better of him, pulling her back into his arms and bringing their lips into another tension filled kiss. Hands hasty in their fondling, they travelled across her slender back, trailing back to her toned abdomen and moved up to her breasts. A gruff toned moan came from the male as he desperately yet tenderly played with her assets, resulting in a coursing jolt of electrifying pleasure to surge through her.

Breaking away from the kiss unintentionally, Amy let her pleasure be known to him by moaning aloud, her head falling back from the overwhelming bliss. Her cries of pleasure spurred his craving for her. Guiding her over to the drawers, Sonic pressed his lips against her heated chest, the gentle nudges effortless pushed the hazy, pink female against the furniture, securing her with his hands on top the drawers, the male leaned over her slightly, lacing his lips down her chest to her breasts, gently teasing the left with his tongue whilst tweaking the other between his fingers.

Drunk on the ecstatic rush, Amy gradually became unsteady, unable to stand on her wobbly knees. She fell against Sonic's arm that secured her against the drawers. Carefully, he moved her onto the surface of the furniture, being careful of the lit candles just a few feet away from her. With his lover now secured on the chest of drawers, he once again laced his kisses down her body, this time moving further down until he was on his knees, close to her womanhood. With his cravings ruling over him, Sonic swiftly moved in close to the area and began to pleasure her with his tongue, at first irrational in his haste but quickly slowed his pace and sensually teased her.

"Sonic!" She breathed out, her upper body thrusting forward from the surges of pleasure racing through her. She panted heavily from his affection, her body subsequently growing weak as her body relaxed. Her upper body leaned against the wall, pushing her thighs closer to him and ultimately giving him the advantage over her.

With rhythmic dance, his tongue satisfied her, forcing her to emit her pleasure into the air. Her sounds were becoming louder and more frequent until her moans changed to high pitched whimpering. Sensing her end, Sonic flicked his tongue against her sensitive area, causing her to breathe rapidly and irrationally until she declared her climax with a loud moan, followed by whimpering as she gripped onto the wooden surface through her orgasm.

She slouched against the wall, panting heavily as the orgasm passed. Sonic jumped to his feet, scooping the girl off the drawers and wrapping her relaxed body around him. He kissed her amorously, his craving still present. She returned the kiss, wanting to satisfy him as much as he had for her. As by unspoken command, Sonic moved them to the bed, placing Amy down first before towering over her and kissing her deeply.

Her legs wrapped around his waist and gripped tightly as she flipped them over so she was towering over him. Sonic was surprised to see her bounce back from her relaxed state but held no resistance in her take over. She continued their passionate kiss, being sure to dominate him.

Like his hands had been previously, her own hands roamed his body, caressing every inch of her chest and slowly moving down his abdomen until her hand had found it's desired destination. She gently squeezed his member, alerting him of where her hand was. She repeated her actions, squeezing slightly harder than the last. He grunted uncomfortably, playfully glaring up at her as she laughed.

She moved her hand up and down, gradually gaining a slow rhythm. She approved of his quiet, low toned moans, earning second hand volts of pleasure through her body. "Does it feel different when you're not the one stroking it, Sonic?"

He sniggered beneath her. "Are you trying to get into my bad books again?"

"Hmm, maybe. I kinda like your punishments. But for now, we'll stick to rewards." Her hand moved faster against him as she brought their lips together into another lustful kiss. Intoxicated by her touch, Sonic's head hit the pillow beneath him. Amy leaned over, refusing to break their kiss. Her hand moved faster, causing his eyes to roll back and moans to escape him.

The hero grunted and groaned, pulling away from the kiss. "I'm close." He whispered to her, giving her a hazy look. Much to his surprise, the pink demigoddess stopped her hand action and moved away to straddle him. He grabbed her hips, keeping eye contact with her as she carefully lowered herself onto him.

The sensation of their intimate connection caused them to moan in unison. Looking into one another's eyes, the couple shared a moment of adoration. With her hands on his chest and his on her hips, the goddess rode her lover.

Their bodies moved in rhythmic sync. His hips thrusting into her as she came down on him. A harmony of their breathless moans filled the air, overshadowing the sounds of her creaking bed reacting to the sound of their movements. They gripped onto one another tightly as the waves of pleasure rushed through them.

He stared at her body above him, desiring to feel her against him again. In swift motion, he sat up and adjusted her in his lap, holding onto her back as he held her close. She gripped onto his shoulders, continuing to ride him whilst leaning forward to kiss his neck lovingly, each kiss scorched his already heated body. He turned his head towards her and kissed her passionately, moaning into kiss along with her.

"I love you." She breathed out as she broke the kiss and looked at him lustfully.

He returned a similar, hazy expression. "I love you too."

Hearing him say those words sparked another wave of pleasure through her, bringing her close to climax. She kissed him eagerly and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. She whimpered at the incoming orgasm. "Sonic..."

Her whimpering signalled her end to him. Moving her onto her back, the blue blur got onto his knees and lifted her hips, guiding himself back inside her and regaining his pace gradually until his thrusts were unmatchable in speed.

"S-Sonic!" Amy gasped loudly as his penetration stimulated her greatly. With every thrust, she would moan loudly until she reached her peak. She gripped onto the bedsheets as her body shook violently from her climax. Her legs squeezed his hips firmly, resembling the tightening he was already experiencing from her orgasm. The feeling of her constriction around him brought him to his climax. Grunting in pleasure, his head tipped back in a euphoric high.

Both panting heavily from their passionate workout, the couple moved to the topside of the bed and got underneath the covers. "Now I can see why we have so many kids in the future." Sonic chuckled, leaning on his side and facing his lover.

Amy laughed, stroking his cheek tenderly. "So can I. That felt amazing." She sighed contently.

"You can say that again." He pulled her into a hug. "Our actual wedding will have a little more pizzazz and a little less gummi rings and balloons."

"Aw. You mean this wasn't our actual wedding?" She teased him. "And here I thought we were husband and wife."

"We eloped. Once this war thing is all over, we'll have the biggest wedding anyone's ever seen!"

Amy giggled, raising her head to look at him. "Oh? Tell me about this wedding of ours."

"Well... First, we'll have actual rings."

"That's pretty fancy." She grinned.

Sonic chuckled softly and rubbed her back. "It'll be in one of those swanky places. You know, with huge halls, big gardens and fancy statues everywhere."

"Sounds awfully pricy."

"If we're supposed to be the Emperor and Empress, it's to be expected, isn't it?"

"Hmm, I don't know. I mean, as long as I'm marrying you, I'm happy."

He raised an eyebrow at her to go with his grin. "So you're telling me that Amy Rose doesn't want a spectacular wedding? Without the dream dress, the perfect ceremony and the beautiful decorations to match a distinct colour pallette?"

Smiling impishly, Amy gently slapped his chest. "I'm not twelve anymore. I mean, yeah, maybe I do want to feel like a princess on our big day... Or an Empress in our case... But ultimately, as long as you're my husband, I'm the luckiest girl in the world."

"I don't know about that. It's not everyday a guy gets to marry a demigoddess."

"True. But it's also not everyday that a girl gets to marry Sonic The Hedgehog. We're both pretty lucky."

He stared at her admirably, rubbing her back soothing. "I don't want any of this to end." He said, taking her hand in his and stroking her fingers with his thumb.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "What? The sex?"

"Heh, though that was pretty great, I was talking about us, what we have." He squeezed her hand gingerly. "I swear, I won't let Eggman hurt you. You mean everything to me and nobody is going to take you away from me."

The pink hedgehog blushed at his bold words, her eyes dancing with adoration. "Oh Sonic." She swooned, pulling him into a sweet kiss. He happily returned her kiss holding her dearly through the affection. Breaking the kiss, Amy smiled at her hero before turning to get out of bed. "We'd better get cleaned up." She insisted.

Sonic pulled her back onto the bed, startling her in the process. "Going back to not wanting the sex to end..."

Her eyes widened, followed by a chortle of disbelief. "You want to go again?! You sure bounce back quickly."

"They don't call me the fastest thing alive for nothing, you know." He said, getting on top of the pink female. "But don't worry..." He spoke in a husky voice. "For you, I'll always come second."

Amy giggled, rolling her eyes at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Oh Sonic..." She tittered. She pulled him into a kiss, beginning another passionate session.

* * *

Sound asleep, the outer world was closed off in their slumber. With his unofficial wife in his arms, Sonic contently dreamed the night away, completely relaxed and unaware of his surroundings.

He stirred slightly, turning away from Amy and facing the balcony doors. A shadow blocked the moonlight from his face. His eyes squinted as he opened them to investigate the shadow. Looking straight ahead, he was met with a pair of blue metal legs. Knowing instantly who they belonged to, Sonic's eyes trailed up slowly until his emerald eyes were met with the piercing red pair. Metal sounded a battle cry as the cannon in his chest began to glow.

"Shit!" Sonic yelled, grabbing the pink hedgehog beside him and rolling them both off the other side of the bed. Metal's shot a plasma beam and destroyed Amy's bedroom door, along with a chunk of her wall.

"Sonic?!" Amy gasped in horror and confusion. "What's happening?!"

Metal flew up above the bed and shrieked a metallic cry towards Sonic. Witnessing her nightmare above her, Amy gasped, her eyes signalling her fear. Metal watched her momentarily, also seeing her fear. This seemed to anger him even more. His eyes returned to Sonic, preparing to attack once more.

The blue hedgehog grabbed Amy and shoved her harshly to other side of the room. "Amy, get dressed!" He commanded before he was propelled off his feet by his metal counterpart grabbing him and forcing him through the hole in the wall. Another loud crash could be heard as the house shook from the demolition of another wall.

Amy stood petrified to see her worse nightmare before them a few moments ago. Even though she now understood this metal being was her lover, she was unable to see passed her decade long terror.

Dashing back into the room, Sonic flipped over the bed and knelt down to grab his usual attire, being quick to slip them back on. He looked over to the terror stricken female. "Amy! We have to get out of here! Get dressed!"

"I-it's him!" She screamed back at him, her distress visible across her features. "W-why is he attacking you?! Doesn't he know you're him?!"

"He thinks I'm an imposter!" A plasma beam tore throw the bed, just missing Sonic's head. The beam shattered the glass doors, projecting shards of glass everywhere. Sonic covered his eyes from the flying glass. "Amy!" He sternly called back to her, trying to break her out of her petrified state and get dressed.

Metal appeared back in the room, hovering over the bed and ready to attack the blue hero. His attention was caught by the nude female, somewhat calming him as he stared intensely at her. It was unclear to see but beneath his exterior the robot held a pained expression.

Trembling with fear, Amy backed up into her wardrobe, unable to take her eyes off the robot. Her chest heaved erratically as her anxiety took over.

"Amy!" Sonic yelled, running over to the girl to protect her.

Unable to control her anxiety, the mortal goddess screamed hysterically towards the robot, unexpectedly creating high pitched sound waves that rippled throughout the area.

Gravely affected by the sound waves, Sonic covered his ears and dropped to the floor. The harsh sounds waves tore through her furniture, floors and the walls, cracking through them until they ripped apart. The intensity of her screams shook the house, tearing it in two. With an opening appearing behind him, Metal shot through a crevice in the wall and was propelled into the distance.

With the robot out of sight, Amy became silent. She stared in astonishment at the damage she had caused. "W-what?" She breathed out. "What have I done?"

Groaning at the ringing in his ears, Sonic carefully rose to his feet. "You saved us from Metal. Nothing else matters right now. Come on, put something on. We have to get out of here."

"But... My home..."

"I'm sorry, Amy. All we can do now is get to safety."

She hesitantly nodded back at him. Quickly throwing on a summer dress from her wardrobe, the couple raced off into the night and into the Mystic Ruins to seek refuge from their fox friend.

Banging on the large doors of the workshop, Sonic notified his best friend and his future advisor of their presence. They were shortly welcomed in and offered tea as their spoke of their ordeal.

"So Metal attacked you whilst you were both asleep. Talk about playing dirty." Tails said as he took a sip of his tea with a great deal of decorum.

"That's Metal for ya. If he's gonna spy on a goddess in her sleep, he'll also attack. Although he was after me rather than Amy." Sonic told the young genius.

Looking down solemnly at her cup of tea on the kitchen table before her, Amy sighed and looked up at Tails. "Is there any chance I could use your shower, Tails?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." He replied, slightly caught off guard by her question.

She nodded towards him to express her gratitude. Getting up from her seat, she was about to leave the kitchen when Sonic grabbed her hand. "Are you alright?"

Amy reassured her lover with a smile. "Yeah. Just need to process everything. I'll be fine." She squeezed his hand gently. "I love you."

"Love you too." He smiled back at her. Unbeknownst to the blue hedgehog, Tails's mouth had dropped open as the three words came out of Sonic's mouth. Cryptic smiled at their exchange of love words, reminded of his Emperor and Empress.

As Amy left the three men at the kitchen table, Tails's once amazed face changed to a cocky smirk. "So... I guess you two did more than just make up?"

Sonic slowly turned back to his best friend, his blush the hue of Knuckles's fur. "Uh, yeah... Guess you could say that."

"Like...?" He teased.

"Trust me, dude. You really don't wanna know." Sonic drank from his cup of tea, masking his embarrassment.

"Did it involve candles and balloons?" The fox asked, his smirk growing even more as Sonic choked on his drink.

His cup slammed onto the table. "How do you know about that?!" His blush now scorching him.

Tails chuckled nervously. "After Amy teleported you both to hers, we wanted to make sure you were still alive after she was finished with you so we turned on the camera in her room. Of course we saw nothing until you bought a bunch of stuff and started setting things up. We turned off the camera to give you both some privacy after that."

Relieved to hear his friends hadn't seen their little wedding ceremony and steamy honeymoon, Sonic bashfully grinned, looking down at the table. "Well, to give you the PG description, we did make up." He scratched his head out of awkwardness. "She's kinda my... Unofficial wife right now."

The fox's momentarily surprised look soon turned to one of happiness. "I'm happy for you, man. It's nice to see you looking truly happy too."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean? I'm always happy."

"Yeah, but you actually _look_ happy. You're practically glowing with happiness."

He couldn't help but chuckle at that comment. He did feel like he was on a cloud of happiness. It was just astounding to hear it was visible to everyone else.

"On a serious note though..." Tails held a stern expression. "Now Amy knows who she is, we'd better get properly prepared for this war."

Sonic nodded in agreement.."You're right." He got up from his chair and placed his hands on the table. "We'll round up the others at dawn. Shadow, Silver and I will train Amy and her powers. If she's able to track Eggman's movements, we may the advantage, at least a little."

"Right." Tails nodded. "I'll alert the mayor to prepare the city for evacuation. The X-Tornado has already been given an upgrade so she's ready to fight!"

Sonic smiled back at his best friend before turning to the advisor. "Cryptic." The man stood to attention. "We'll need your knowledge on anything you know about this war. Do you know how to fight?"

Cryptic's face became white. "I'm afraid not. I'm just a mere a-advisor."

Sonic gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't knock yourself down, pal. You can do anything you put your mind to. I'll ask Knuckles to train you. He's well known for his brawn."

The advisor's eyes widened as he remembered the temper of the guardian echidna of the future. "I don't know about that..."

"It's either that or annihilation on the battlefield."

He slumped in defeat. "I shall dedicate my life for you and the Empress." He bowed his head.

"O-kay." Sonic awkwardly replied. He shrugged off the uncomfortable declaration and looked back at his friends. "Alright! Let's get ready for a battle!"


	10. The War That Waited

Chapter Ten: The War That Waited

"Eight Death Egg Sentinels spotted within a ten mile radius. Egg Gunners approaching defense shield, faced east. Prepare for disperse. Missiles on standby. Bullets ready to engage." Tails reported to the freedom fighters. The fox tapped away at his computer, securing the city's ammunition.

His daughter, Minerva, the four year old, lemon shade fox, exhibiting the genetically inherited twin tails her father had passed down onto her, stood a few feet away from him, watching him anxiously by the door. With her fist to her lips, she jittered on the spot. "Are we going to be okay, Daddy?" She asked her father.

Tails turned from his large computer screen and looked over at his daughter, surprised to see her standing there. He ushered her to approach him. She immediately obliged, running into his arms. "Of course we'll be okay, Minnie. Daddy and Uncle Sonic are used to this kinda stuff. It was our life before Doctor Eggman had a long nap after all." He reassured her, rubbing her head soothingly.

"I heard you talking with Uncle Sonic. Auntie Amy can't save us, can she?" She looked up at her dad with her worry across her face.

He smiled hopelessly. His daughter was too observant for her own good. "Auntie Amy is having the babies now. When this is all over, the three of us will go and see them. For now, go to your mother and stay in the basement. Daddy will get you both when we're done with that Egghead."

His daughter giggled at the insult used to describe the mad doctor. Giving her dad a quick hug, the young fox ran out of the high tech workshop and to the basement in their home.

Sighing to himself as he watched his daughter run to safety, Tails turned back to the computer screen and initiated a call with the Emperor. "How's it looking on your end, Sonic?"

"Peachy." The blue leader responded, leaping onto the head of an Egg Gunner with strong impact, caving it's head into it's other circuits. He leapt out of harm's way and watched the robot explode before him. "There's hundreds of Egg Gunners outside the city. Knuckles and Rouge have taken the south west side of the city while Shadow and I are securing north east. That leaves your outposts securing the north west and south east."

"No pressure then?" The genius sarcastically joked. "Ammunition at the ready. Though I doubt even our attacks and defense can destroy the Death Egg Sentinels."

Sonic looked up at the gigantic robots grazing the skyline, their movements slow yet destructive. "How many are on course for the city?"

Tails updated his scan on the enemy. "Still eight covering every direction outside the exterior of the city. I'd say they'll infiltrate within the next twenty minutes." He gasped suddenly, noticing his scanner had picked up more Death Egg Sentinels. "Uh... oh..."

"What is it?" Sonic questioned the fox.

The genius tapped away at his keyboard, highlighting the rest of the gigantic robots. "There's another twelve of them behind the eight approaching!"

Groaning to himself, Sonic looked back at the Death Egg Sentinels heading their way. From history, he knew the weakness to these gargantuans would be their eyes. Though while it was their weakness, it was also the home to their deadly weaponry. Acting too fast and they'd get fried by lasers. Getting close to their eyes was another suicidal task. If anything, they needed to attack with airships. Luckily, Tails could offer that.

"Tails. Issue the Tornado Force." The Emperor ordered.

"Huh? The same Tornado Force you said we'd never need?" He smirked.

Sonic frowned. "Can we save the jokes and sarcasm for afterward?"

"You've gotten so serious in your old age..."

"Hey! thirty is not old!"

"You're thirty three..."

"Thirty plus tax..."

Distracted by the conversation he was having with his best friend, Sonic failed to notice the incoming Egg Gunner. The Egg Gunner fired his bullets at the Emperor. Shadow pushed the blue hedgehog out the way before he could get shot.

Sonic flipped in the air and landed on his feet, turning to Shadow who had landed beside him. "Stay focused. We're surrounded." The dark hedgehog told him.

The Egg Gunners were closing in on them, along with the quakes of the Death Egg Sentinels as they slowly made their way towards the city. Sonic and Shadow jumped into battle positions, ready to fight off the horde of mechs.

Just then, they heard the sound of rumbling coming from the sky. Dark clouds began to form above them, flashing bright with lightning. Within moments, mighty bolts of lightning shot from the clouds and charged into the giant machines.

"W-what?!" Sonic gasped, looking up at the sudden storm.

The bolts of lightning sent the robots into overdrive, causing them to explode on the spot. The explosion knocked Sonic and Shadow off their feet and the Egg Gunners close to the death machines to be projected out of radius.

Shadow dusted himself off. "She just can't help herself..." He said, referring to the Empress.

Bothered by her interference, Sonic spoke to his wife through telepathy. "Amy..." He said irritably.

"What? I saved you the little ones." Amy responded. "Honestly, Sonic. You can be so ungrateful at times..." She pretended to be hurt by his annoyance.

"You are in labour, woman! Focus your energy on delivering the kids." He scolded her in the middle of assisting Shadow in fighting off the remaining Egg Gunners.

"Don't underestimate me, Dearest. Oh, and by the way, I'm okay. Thank you for asking..."

He chuckled softly. "Sorry. How's it going?"

"Painful. But that's to be expected." Her soft chuckling was shortly replaced with her grunts of discomfort.

Sonic grimaced. "I should be at your side right now... Eggman's gonna pay for making me miss the birth of the twins."

"Give him hell, honey. I love you."

"I love you too, beautiful."

Looking back at the remains of the Death Egg Sentinels, he noticed the mad doctor screaming at his destroyed death machines. He smirked with confidence. "An order of hell for Doctor Eggman, coming right up!"

The week's preparations had been gruelling on the whole team. From assisting emergency evacuation, to intensive training, rest didn't come easy to the Freedom Fighters.

With the whereabouts of the Doctor still a mystery, the hedgehogs wasted no time in training the mortal goddess. The first few attempts had proven to be catastrophic. Due to lack of knowledge and experience with her powers, their training had resulted in power cuts, earthquakes, reaction from the chaos emeralds and a wreckage to the workshop, to Tails's dismay.

With only five days until the war was supposed to start, rest was still a luxury they could not afford.

Outside the workshop, the three male hedgehogs surrounded the pink hedgehog and helped her to channel her powers. Amy stood with her eyes closed, intensely focused on the goal they had given her. To use her clairvoyant powers to track down Eggman.

Nearby stood the rest of the team, standing at a safe distance to prevent getting hurt in the experiment. After witnessing the last few attempts, they found keeping a safe distance was vital.

"Focus on your goal." Shadow instructed her.

"I am focused... I've been focused ever since we started this!" She sighed in frustration. "We have less than a week to get my powers as effective as possible and I can't even find that Egghead without destroying everything!"

"Don't blame yourself, Amy. After all, if Sonic had told you about your identity sooner-" Silver started before Sonic scoffed at him.

"Okay, okay. There's no need to point fingers. You'll be ready in no time, Ames. Just stay focused on tracking that Eggface."

Amy sighed once more before focusing her mind on her goal. Her concentration made her levitate off the ground. With her frustration still present, the demigoddess unintentionally used that emotion to generate a chaos sphere above her head. The swelling ball of energy grew, swirling around and emitting a red, fiery glow.

Alarmed, the three hedgehogs pulled out the chaos emeralds from their back quills to try and absorb the negative energy. "Amy, control your temper!" Sonic called out to his lover.

Amy was non responsive, too focused to listen. With her annoyance still manifesting above her, Shadow jumped up towards the pink female and pushed her back to the ground. He used the chaos emerald in his hand to teleport the chaos sphere. "Chaos control!"

Sonic caught his wife and watched as the chaos sphere was teleported out of sight. His eyes looked back to Amy, seeing her shock expression change to one of immense disappointment. He flashed a reassuring smile. "Well, that could've been worse."

The irritated girl growled. "I'm supposed to be this demigoddess who brings the world together with her powers. How am I supposed to do that when I can barely track Doctor Eggman?!"

"If I may, Your Imperial Majesty." Cryptic interjected. The advisor and the young genius approached the hedgehog quartet. "Your powers are still in premature condition. You will have more control of your p-powers after your awakening."

Sonic placed the girl back on her feet. "What is this awakening? When is it supposed to happen?" Amy asked the badger, placing her hands on her hips.

Flummoxed, Cryptic stuttered his words. "H-her Imperial M-Majesty is quite vague on the topic unfortunately. It is known that the awakening is to happen during the war."

"Great..." Amy said sarcastically. Her sarcasm made her loyal advisor uneasy. "Oh, I didn't mean- Thank you for the information, Cryptic."

Cryptic bowed his head towards the pink hedgehog. Tails looked to the badger to deliver a new technique he was aware of. Seeing Cryptic's silence, the fox decided to talk for him. "Cryptic has an idea that'll help us track Eggman without destroying everything around us!"

Amy crossed her arms at Tails's comment. Seeing his partner get offended, Sonic smiled and pulled her into a side hug. "What's the idea, Crypt?"

The advisor frowned momentarily at the fox as he stepped forward. "Well... If His Imperial Majesty needed knowledge or experience to perform a p-particular task, he'd h-harness chaos energy from the Empress."

"Harness energy?" Sonic asked.

"Yes." Cryptic nodded back at the blue hedgehog. "Inorder to send me back to the p-precise moment in time, H-his Imperial Majesty harnessed energy from the Empress to create the portal that sent me here." Cryptic twiddled his fingers nervously. "His Imperial Majesty struggles to pinpoint his portals." He said bashfully.

"So it's like using Amy as a chaos emerald?" Silver stated questionably.

Sonic exhaled a faint chuckle. "Hang up a minute. We can't use Amy like that!"

Shadow agreed, crossing his arms and nodding his response. Amy looked at both hedgehogs and huffed. "I don't see any other way of getting this over with. You guys have more experience with chaos. Until my awakening, I'm chaotic and unpredictable! If you harness some of my power, we'll know what Doctor Eggman's up to."

Cryptic raised a shaky hand. "There is a-another thing I must mention..." Sonic and Shadow instantly turned to the badger, causing him to shriek nervously. "H-harnessing energy from H-her Imperial Majesty not only drains her power but also her life force-"

"Nope, not doing it." Sonic held his hand up to the advisor.

"Sonic!" Amy whined. "Come on, you know I'm not good at this! The sooner you harness my power, the sooner we can have done of this!"

Sonic pouted towards his wife and crossed his arms. "Why can't we use the chaos emeralds to do the exact same thing?"

"Because no one knows how to use the chaos energy quite like Amy can... Or potentially able to..." Tails shrugged apologetically to the demigoddess.

"Harnessing energy creates a link with the Vessel, connecting either V-vessel or Channeler to the one being harnessed. You will be tapping into their life line, thus g-gaining knowledge or experience from a particular time in their timeline." Cryptic informed the team.

Still refusing to acknowledge the idea as an option, Sonic held his defiant stance. Amy rolled her eyes. "How does this harnessing work anyway?" She asked Cryptic.

Cryptic appeared to be puzzled. "I can't say I understand how this c-chaos stuff works. Usually, when His Imperial Majesty is seeking e-energy from Her Imperial Majesty, he usually exchanges the harnessing w-with a kiss."

Despite Sonic's stance of defiance, his ear directed towards the advisor. Amy smirked at her husband before initiating her quick-thought plan. "Oh, well, that should be no problem." She looked back at Sonic, seeing him still in defiance. She began to walk over to the rest of the team in the distance. "If you and Shadow are against harnessing my energy, I guess another Chaneller will harness my energy... Maybe Knuckles?"

"Huh?!" Sonic turned to the pink hedgehog, horrified to see her walking towards the guardian. In a haste, he rushed over and grabbed his wife, pulling her into his arms and planting a kiss on her expecting lips. Firm, yet tenderly, he kissed his lover, too preoccupied in the affection itself to focus on the harnessing.

Forcing himself to concentrate on the task at hand, he held her tightly as the harnessing commenced. His body strengthened by the flow of energy coursing through him. Pumped within power, the hedgehog tightened his grip around his wife's waist, feeling her body get heavier against his hands. Unable to withstand the lose of power, Amy used the rest of her strength to pull away from the kiss. She collapsed in his arms with a fatigued sigh.

"Ames, you goo-?" His eyes glowed white as the images of Eggman's whereabouts visualised in front of him. With Amy's power, he was able to locate Eggman. He could see Eggman's Empire Fortress, his mass production of robots: Death Eggs Robots, Death Egg Sentinels, The Egg Gunners, Egg Fighters, Egg Hunters, Egg Guardians and Swat Bots. Within the lowest level of the fortress stood the doctor and his aide robots, Orbot and Cubot. They stood in front of Eggman's computer screen, reading the data of the robot production.

Orbot hovered beside his creator and read out the data. "We have one hundred percent completion on the Egg Gunners, Fighters and Hunters, Seventy Eight on the Egg Guardians. Sixty Seven percent on the Swat Bots."

"Excellent." Eggman sneered. "What percentage do we have for the Death Eggs and Death Egg Sentinels?"

Orbot turned to his colleague, Cubot with a timid expression on his face.

Eggman turned to the round shaped robot and frowned. "Well?"

"Uh, for the Death Eggs... twenty nine percent..."

"What?!" Eggman shrieked. "What's taking so long?! We've been working on them for months!" He growled, slamming his hands onto the desk in front of him. "And what about the Death Egg Sentinels?"

Orbot pushed Cubot in front to deliver the verdict. "Erm... About seventeen percent?"

Eggman growled as he whacked the cubed robot on his head. Cubot fell to the ground, feeling light headed from the heavy handed slap. "How can this be?! The target was to have all the robots ready by this point!"

"We would have been ready, doctor-" Orbot began to explain before Cubot interjected.

"But you changed your goal of fifty Death Eggs and fifty Death Egg Sentinels, to one hundred of each!"

The orbed shaped robot nudged his cube shaped colleague. "What with the Death Eggs and Death Egg Sentinels taking up a lot of energy and resources, the production is rather slow. But, they should all be ready within the next five days!"

"Yes! With the entire fleet, I can finally rid the world of that pink hedgehog and make that blue hedgehog my greatest creation!" The round man laughed menacingly.

"Isn't Metal Sonic already running around this world? Why can't you get that one on your team?" Cubot asked his creator.

"Because, Bolt Brain, that Metal Sonic is too hostile to tame! If I am to build the Eggman Empire, I'll need my version of Metal to listen to me!"

Orbot pondered to himself before asking a question. "Surely if you already know Metal Sonic will betray you and become hostile, why do you still want to create him?"

The doctor looked over at the book he had found containing all the information on the Amy's powers and the future. His hand delicately tracing over the hardback book. "Metal is a part of this destiny. Had I not created Metal, Sonic wouldn't have saved her and eventually became her friend. Had Metal not been spying on the girl, Sonic wouldn't have played the bodyguard and eventually became her lover. With those two love birds forming their relationship, I have created a weakness in that blue rat and I intend to destroy him with that weakness! And Metal unintentionally helped me this whole time..." He laughed menacingly once more.

"Wonderful thinking, Doctor." Orbot and Cubot clapped for their commander.

Eggman grinned maliciously. "Now. What's the number of robots in each category?"

"We have two hundred Egg Gunners, one hundred and fifty Egg Fighters, one hundred and twenty Egg Hunters, and ninety Egg Guardians. We currently have thirty four Death Eggs and nineteen Death Egg Sentinels." Orbot reported.

Reclining in his chair, Eggman twiddled his fingers together and sneered. "Excellent. In just five days, we'll begin the biggest assault Sonic and his friends have ever seen!

Snapping back into his reality, Sonic shook his head violently. "Whoa! That was crazy!"

"What happened?" His best friend asked. The team huddled around him to hear of Sonic's findings.

"Eggman's built another fortress on West Side Island, in Metropolis. He's got hundreds of different robots to fight us. Death Eggs, Egg Fighters, Egg Guardians..." He looked down at the ground, uneasy by what he had seen. He looked back up to his worried wife and held a stern look. "Eggman knows about us. It seems he's known all this time."

"How prepared is he?" Silver asked.

Sonic turned to the silver hedgehog. "According to Orbot, the Death Eggs and the Sentinels will be ready in five days. He'll probably start deploying them from then."

Tails shook his head in disbelief. "No, no, no. We've evacuated Station Square and Central City! West Side Island?! That's not even close to here!" The genius turned to Cryptic. "Don't you know where this war is supposed to be?"

Cryptic appeared to be perplexed. "According to Her Imperial M-Majesty, the sky will be painted red, desolation will cover the ground and mountains will crumble at the glory."

"Mountains... Hill Top Zone!" Tails exclaimed. "That has to be where this war is going to be!"

"Hill Top Zone?" Rouge chimed in. "Isn't that place filled with lava?"

Tails nodded back at the bat. "Maybe Eggman's using the hostile environment to his advantage? I mean, think about it. Chemical Plant is probably where he's getting his energy from to power all those robots, Metropolis will have all the resources he needs and Hill Top Zone is already inhabitable from the amount of earthquakes and lava caverns it has, what better place for Eggman to plan an attack?"

"That makes sense but there's just one issue..." Sonic said.

The genius raised his eyebrow.

"Eggman doesn't know that we know where his new fortress is. When he unleashes his hundreds of robots, he'll most likely order them to come to us. They'll destroy the majority of the land just to arrive here."

The team turned to Tails for a new plan. Overwhelmed by the information and responsibility, the fox shook his head and pointed to his workshop. "We'll need to come up with a tactical plan... After something to eat. Can't plan a counterattack on a major assault on an empty stomach."

Assembled in Tails' workshop, the team sat around the various desks and ate the meal of chicken stew and bread, made lovingly by Amy and Cream. Once he had finished his meal, Tails pulled out a portable whiteboard and drew a rough drawing of a map.

"Okay, we are currently here, at the workshop." He pointed to the rough drawing of the workshop. Cream raised her hand. "Yes, Cream?"

"I mean no offense, Tails, but could you possibly label the drawings?" The preteen spoke bashfully. Her chao, Cheese nodded, covering his face from second hand embarrassment.

Knuckles chuckled. "Yeah, you're not much of an artist."

Begrudgingly mumbling under his breath, Tails labelled the various locations on the map. "Okay. As I was saying, we are here." He pointed at the workshop. "West Side Island is, of course, to the west of the main continent. From here, to West Side Island, we have Apotos and Spagonia in the middle. We need to alert both countries of the incoming war and make our way over West Side Island."

Amy leaned over to Sonic. "He needed to bring us all in here and have dinner just to state the obvious?"

Her husband chuckled quietly. "Give him a break. That must have taken a lot of thought to come up with that idea." He jested, snickering with his lover. He raised his hand to ask a question. "I can get to West Side Island, no problem. How's everyone else getting there? I mean, I can carry you." He turned to his wife and shared a smile with her.

"The X-Tornado can carry upto three passengers. Uh, I'm guessing Rouge, Shadow and Silver can easily make it across the sea, right?"

"Sure, we could." Rouge crossed her arms and frowned. "But when there's hundreds of robots going against the eleven of us, if you include the Chao and pacifist advisor." She yawned. "Getting over there is going to cost more energy than necessary."

Tails nodded in response. The bat was right. Hundreds of robots against potentially nine fighters, plus Chao and the advisor, they couldn't afford to use too much energy. "We have two options. First option, we can leave for West Side Island on the 25th. That'll leave us two days to continue to ensure, Apotos, Spagonia, Emerald Hill and Metropolis have been evacuated. We can camp out in Emerald Hill Zone. I know that place like the back of my hand. We'll be safe there."

"What's the second option?" Asked Blaze.

The fox turned to the demigoddess. "We can teleport there once all preparations have been made."

Amy scoffed. "For a moment, I thought you were suggesting that I teleport everyone to West Side Island." She laughed with a half hearted attitude. Tails's eyes remained locked on her. Amy nervously laughed. "Tails. You saw what I did with the power cut and nearly destroying the Workshop. We can't afford anymore mistakes!"

"If you can't make a portal, can't Sonic harness more of your power to make the portal?" Tails asked the pink hedgehog.

Sonic scratched his head. "Dunno about that, Buddy. If I'm not good at pinpointing portals like Cryptic said, we could end up anywhere!"

"Who says it has to be you who harnesses Amy's powers?" Rouge smirked. "We have others who can extract it from her. Knuckles, Shadow... Silver?"

Silver stood his head violently. "Gross, we're related!"

"Wait. We are?" Amy gasped as she turned to the futuristic hedgehog.

The blue hedgehog pulled his wife close and stared intensely at the jewel thief. "No way."

"My, somebody's protective." Rouge giggled.

"Guys, relax." Silver got in the line of sight between Sonic and Rouge. "The blood of the Vessels runs through me. With the help of a chaos emerald, I can make a portal."

Sonic and Amy smiled at their descendent. "Thanks, Silver."

"Right." Tails nodded, bringing everyone's attention to the whiteboard. "I'll begin the evacuation for each country. In four days, we'll travel to Emerald Hill and will hopefully counteract Eggman's assault. For now, continue your training and together, we can beat Doctor Eggman! Any questions?"

Silver raised his hand.

"Yes, Silver?"

"Is there anymore stew left?" He asked, picking up his empty bowl.

Following the additional bowls of stew, the team began their training once more. Watching his friends prepare for the war, Sonic leaned against the workshop wall and frowned at the thoughts in his head. Though the situation deemed the occasion irrelevant, he couldn't help but think of the excitement Amy had felt about her birthday just five days prior to all the preparation. Her big eighteen. While he still believed she would survive, he didn't want to her to remember her eighteenth as a time of immense training and thoughts of impending doom.

Stepping outside the workshop, Tails looked over at the rest of the team and their training. He noticed Sonic wasn't with them. Concerned, he looked around for his best friend. He found him around the corner, leaning on the wall and lost in thought. He made his way over to the blue hedgehog. "Something bothering you?"

Sonic turned to the genius and gave a meekly smile. "It's nothing..." He shrugged his concerns off.

His discard for his thoughts wasn't enough to convince Tails. "You can talk to me if you need to. We're in for a pretty big battle, there won't be much time for talks soon."

"Or birthdays..."

Tails's ears twitched, picking up the mumbling of the blue leader. "Birthdays?" He thought about what that meant for a moment. The realisation came to him. "Oh... Amy's birthday is tomorrow, isn't it?"

Sonic sighed. "It'll be her eighteenth, Tails. I dunno, it just seems a little depressing that she won't be able to celebrate it. She seemed so excited about it a couple days ago and now, it'll be forgotten."

Tails looked over to the pink hedgehog, watching as she trained with her hammer. "I mean... I guess we can spare a few hours to celebrate..."

"So we can have a party?!" Sonic bounced his back off the wall. "It'll totally boost morale. Turns out the notion of death is quite a mood killer."

Tails reluctantly nodded, still wary of the amount of time they had for preparation. "Just make sure everybody has some practice before this party. Oh, and no alcohol. We don't need a drunken or hungover bunch of fighters."

"Yes!" Sonic cheered excitedly. "No worries, buddy. We'll keep it strictly influence free. Gotta go!" Sonic dashed away from his best friend and headed down the path to the city to get all that was needed for Amy's birthday.

Eighteen. The big eighteen as she called it. It wasn't how she had imagined it. She had imagined she would be elated, ecstatic. To be awoken feeling like a woman and to be surrounded by those she loved to celebrate the new era of her life. Adulthood.

Instead, she had awoken to a drill to prepare for training, everyone seemingly forgetting her birthday in the process.

She wasn't partially surprised. Having just four days until the war, they didn't exactly have time to celebrate her birthday. In fact, there was so much going on, it was guaranteed to be forgotten. While it would have been nice for someone, anyone to acknowledge her birthday, she was just grateful she was surrounding the people she cared about the most. That was what truly mattered.

Exhausted from the day's training, The team staggered into the workshop, one after another, groaning from their aches and pains. They stopped in their tracks when they noticed the lights were switched off.

"Was there another power cut?" Silver asked as he tried to look around the dark workshop.

"Hey. Don't look at me. I've mainly been training with my hammer today." Amy said in her own defense.

Rouge smiled, intrigued by what she could see. "Hmm. It looks like somebody's gone to a lot of effort to decorate the place."

"Decorate?" Knuckles questioned, his eyes slowly adjusting to the lack of light.

Laser lights suddenly switched on, illuminating colours of red, blue, purple and white around the workshop. The little light shined on the multicoloured balloons hung up across the walls along with the streamers attached to the ceiling. Looking around, the saw Tails's desks had been moved to create a dancefloor and were now beside one another to hold the variety of food and soft drinks on them.

"What...?" Amy gasped, looking around at all the decorations. "What is all this?"

Her friends giggled and chuckled softly. Sonic dashed in front of the bewildered pink hedgehog and held out a medium sized box in his hands. "Happy birthday, Amy."

"Happy birthday!" Everyone cheered behind the couple.

Amy looked back at the cheering team and then back to her lover, pleasantly surprised yet shocked. "I thought you all forgot..."

"Nah. We just needed you out of here." Sonic chuckled softly before handing the box over to Amy. "Here."

Taking the box from the blue hedgehog, Amy opened the present and pulled out a camera. She gasped with excitement. "My camera! You saved it from my home?"

"Yep! Luckily it was on the side that's still standing."

Looking through the photos on the camera, Amy smiled as she remembered each memory they had made over the last couple of months. "Thank you for the present, Sonic."

"It's nothing. I'm glad we didn't lose that."

Rouge hovered over Amy's shoulder and looked at the pictures. Smirking, she grabbed the camera and flew away up in the air. She scanned through the pictures and videos, grinning as she found the more lewd memories. "Oh my. Scandalous."

"Rouge!" Amy shrieked.

Rouge ignored the pink hedgehog and looked through the photos. She gasped. "You two... My goodness!" She giggled to herself. To her surprise, the camera in her hands vanished from her hands and reappeared back to Amy's. "Wha-?"

"It's private." Amy told her friend with a disapproving scowl. She gave the camera to Sonic to put in his back quills.

Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, Sonic calmed his wife down before turning to his friends. "Alright. Let's get this party started!"

They made the most of the freedom and fun, dancing together, participating in party games and simply, for a moment, forgetting the war.

The birthday girl stood with her friends: Rouge, Blaze and Cream near the food stand, laughing and talking. "So... Future Empress, do we have to bow in your presence now?" Rouge grinned. She gently nudged the purple cat. "Looks like you've been outranked in terms of royalty, Blaze. That must be so upsetting."

Blaze shook her head at the bat's trouble stirring. "There's nothing upsetting about it." Blaze turned to the mortal goddess. "I am glad Sonic finally told you who you were. Rather late than never."

"Actually, it was my future self who told me. I'm still finding it hard to believe. All my life, I believed I was this unwanted girl, adopted by two brutish people and whose sole purpose was to just be with Sonic The Hedgehog. Now, I'm actually a demigoddess with a whole other name?"

Cream smiled empathetically to her friend's confusion. "At least your purpose still involves Sonic." Amy nodded back in agreement.

"What's it like, Amy? Finally being with Sonic The Hedgehog, after all those years?" Rouge asked with a traitorous smile on her lips. "According to your pictures, I'm guessing it's pretty... passionate."

Her cheeks burned. "Again, that was private!" Amy scowled at the bat.

Rouge pretended to be deeply concerned. "Oh. Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, Amy. I didn't realise you'd be this upset." Pulling out a flask, she grabbed a cup off the desk and filled the cup with the contents of her container. "Here. Have some of my juice as an apology."

Amy appeared to be sceptical of the drink. "What is it?" Taking the cup from the bat and peering down at the orange and red coloured liquid.

"Juice." She lied. "Try it if you don't believe me."

Her emerald eyes performed a brisk scan of her mischievous friend's face before she drank the drink. It was a sweet tasting drink. "Hey, this is pretty good. Pineapple?"

"You guessed it." Rouge nodded, smirking behind the cup she had brought to her lips.

Amy smiled gratefully. "Well, I better go talk with everyone else. See you girls in a bit." She said as she made her way over to the boys.

Blaze turned to the giggling thief. "What's in the drink?"

"I just said it was juice. Gosh, Blaze. What do you take me for?" Rouge raised an eyebrow at her purple friend, her grin reappearing as Blaze looked back at the pink hedgehog.

"I can't believe we're related!" Amy said cheerfully to her descendent.

Silver bashfully looked down at cup of juice in his hand. "Yeah. Turns out one of your sons in the future is my great, great grandfather. So I guess that makes you my great-"

"Let's not get too deep into it. I don't ever want to hear you call me Grandma. Although, I dare you to call Sonic, Grandpa." Amy giggled.

Silver grinned. "You're on!"

She pulled the futuristic hedgehog into a hug. "I'm happy to have you as my family."

Sweetened by her words, Silver hugged his ancestor. "You too, Amy."

"Hawk eyes at six o'clock." Shadow warned the two. Looking to Sonic who had been watching Amy's interaction with the hedgehog.

Amy giggled and released Silver. "He knows Silver is family. You're my family too, Shadow. We're one big hedgehog family. Sonic's my husband, you, Shadow, are the brother I never had and Silver is my child's, child's, child's... child's?"

"We'll stick to descendent..." Silver chuckled.

Downing the remainder of the juice Rouge had given her, Amy turned to look for the jewel thief. "Out of juice. I'm gonna go get some more."

The hedgehogs watched as the pink hedgehog made her way to the girls. She staggered slightly as she walked. "Do you think she's alright?" Silver questioned the ultimate lifeform.

Shadow hesitated to answer, watching her getting her drink refilled by Rouge. "Watch Rouge from now on." He told the silver furred male.

Participating in various party games, the team moved onto musical statues. With Tails controlling the music, the team danced in the middle of the workshop. During round one, Knuckles and Cryptic were the first to be out. Following with Cream and Cheese in round two. In round three, Rouge was out, leaving Sonic, Amy, Silver and Blaze on round four.

The blue hedgehog turned to his rival. "C'mon Shadow. Join the fun!" He said as danced to the music.

Shadow, leaning against the wall, lowered his head. "No..."

"What's this? Too good for musical statues?" Sonic taunted. The music stopped, forcing the dancers to stop their movements.

With one foot off the ground, the birthday girl wobbled and shortly dropped to the floor. She laughed hysterically at her falter.

"Amy's out!" Tails called out.

Amy clumsily got to her feet. "C'mon Shadow. Stand in for me."

The music came back on, making those still in the game begin to dance again. "I guess Shadow is too afraid to be destroyed by me." Sonic grinned, beaming with confidence.

Moving off the wall, Shadow entered the game. "You asked for it, hedgehog." Shadow taunted the blue male as he began the dance battle.

Cheering from the side lines, Amy downed another cup of Rouge's juice. "Go Sonic, go Shadow, go Silver!"

Her friends turned to the cheering girl, humoured by her loud behaviour. "You can only pick one if 'em, Amy." Knuckles told her.

"Yeah. Which one you picking?" Rouge joined in.

Amy pondered to herself. "They're all my family... Eh." She shrugged. "I'll choose Sonic. He's my husband after all."

"He is?" Knuckles gave her a quizzical expression. "Since when? We weren't invited to any wedding."

"We didn't have a wedding per se, we had a little ceremony at my house." Amy smiled brightly.

"So you're officially married?" The echidna asked.

"Ssh!" Amy raised a finger to her lips. "Not officially." She whispered, following with a giggle. She turned back to the dancing hedgehogs and cat. "Go Sonic!" She jumped up and down ecstatically. Her attention soon turned to her empty cup in hand. "Rouge, I need more juice!"

Rouge giggled and filled her cup. "You may want to grab a bite to eat before you drink any more." She warned.

The pink female tilted her head. "Why?"

"Just trust me." The bat lead the girl to the food table.

The four continued their dance off, performing skillful moves in a competitive fashion.

"That's the best you got?!" Sonic sniggered at the black and red hedgehog.

"Hmph!" Shadow responded with his breakdancing moves. Sonic returned the same level of effort.

"Nice moves, Grandpa!" Silver called out to the blue hedgehog.

Sonic immediately turned to the silver hedgehog. "What did you call me?"

Noticing Sonic approaching him with a devious grin, Silver held up his hands in defense. "Grandpa...?" Seeing Sonic dashing his way, Silver used his powers to fly out of the way. "I was kidding!" He laughed as Sonic attempted to get him. "Wait! We're family!"

In his haste, Sonic bumped into Blaze, knocking her to the ground. "Oops. Sorry, Blaze." Sonic reached out his hand and pulled the girl to her feet.

"Sonic, Silver and Blaze are out of the game. The winner is Shadow!" Tails exclaimed. The team clapped and cheered for the ultimate lifeform.

Shadow nodded his head and crossed his arms. "Naturally."

Noticing Silver lowering himself to the floor, Sonic turned to the silver male and tackled him to the ground. "Ha! You don't call me Grandpa and get away with it!"

"We're family!" Silver cried as he wrestled with his ancestor. Watching the fight, their friends laughed and cheered them on in their ruckus.

"You were right, Sonic." Tails said enthusiastically. "A party was just what we needed to boost morale. Everyone seems to be having a great time!" He looked around the fellow members of the freedom fighters as they talked, laughed and danced.

Sonic sounded a small noise of agreement as he chugged his juice down. "Too right, buddy! Nothing like a little fun to lighten to mood." He turned to the badger. "So Cryptic, how do you like this kinda party? Is it something you see back in your time?"

The advisor nodded. "Oh yes. While we do have the more f-formal events for guests, the Imperial Majesties will often host parties such as this one for friends and the c-children. I assume this would be the inspiration." He looked around at the laser lights and balloons.

Sonic chuckled. "Heh, glad to know I'm still partying even as an Emperor."

"You're cool with being an Emperor?" Knuckles asked.

"Sure. I mean, when Cryptic first told me about Amy being my wife, a demigoddess and empress, I didn't want to believe it. After everything that's happened between us, I don't want to imagine what life would be like without her." A blush appeared on his cheeks. "Heh, it's kinda funny, talking about this stuff to you guys."

"Kinda funny hearing you of all people, talk like that about Amy. But hey, it's good to see you looking so happy." The echidna said as he slapped the hedgehog on the back.

"Thanks Knucks." Sonic winced from the slap on the back.

The sound of boisterous cheering and laughter came from behind the Sonic and his friends. Turning around, they saw the pink hedgehog dancing on top of Tails's desk, her coordination seemed disorderly.

"Is... Is she drunk?" Knuckles stared in bemusement at the scene.

"I only got juice!" Sonic exclaimed. He, along with Tails, Knuckles and Cryptic rushed over to the rest of the team. Moving in front of everyone, Sonic grabbed Amy's hand and gently pulled her down from the desk. "Ames. Are you alright?" The blue leader asked as he pulled the intoxicated girl into his arms.

The girl pulled away from him. "Unhand me, sir! I am a married woman! My husband will have you for this!" She struggled in his grasp.

"Amy, it's me, Sonic! How on Mobius are you drunk?" He questioned her.

"I'm not drunk! I've only drank juice." She slurred some of her words.

"Which juice?"

"The one that Rouge gave me."

The blue male turned to the bat, giving her a stern look. Rouge shrugged. "What? It was juice... With extra ingredients."

Before Sonic could reprimand Rouge for what she had done, the drunk female wavered back and forth, nearly falling over in the process. Sonic caught his wife and watched hopelessly as she giggled.

"You need to go to bed." He insisted.

Amy giggled flirtatiously. "Yes, take me to bed, Sonic." Her hand caressed his chest. "I want you to make love to me. Just like our wedding night."

A deep blush appeared on his face. "Amy..." He could feel the disapproving eyes of Shadow glaring at him. He refused to look at his rival. "You need to sleep this off." He told her as he grabbed her wrists and pulled them away from his chest.

"Then join me." She whined. "I'll make it worth your while."

Shadow stepped forward and grabbed Amy's arm. "That wouldn't be wise." He pulled the girl towards the stairs. "Come on. You're going to bed."

Amy complained as she was pulled up the stairs. "Shadow. I'm a grown woman! If I want to sleep with my husband then I-" Her stomach churned wildly. "Uh oh... I don't feel so good." She covered her mouth.

Picking up his sister figure, Shadow dashed to the bathroom and assisted her through her sickness.

Sonic frowned at the bat. "Rouge!"

"She'll be fine." She shrugged. "It's her eighteenth. She deserved to let loose a little." She smirked as the blue hedgehog gave her another disapproving look before he raced up the stairs to check on his wife. "Remember, Sonic. No funny business." Rouge called out to the blue hedgehog. Giggling to herself, she drank some of her juice. She found the drink tasted sweeter after a little a excitement.


	11. In Our Final Hours

Chapter Eleven: In Our Final Hours

_Is it wrong to mourn the living? Mourn for their futures? Their dreams? Is it a crime to bewail the loss of the simpler days? To wish for nothing but to go back to the times when having absolutely nothing to do, to fear, to worry over were bountiful?_

_I can see it on their faces. Sour expressions from the bitter reality. Through perfected demeanours and facades, there was despondency. An air of sorrow and bittersweetness, knowing these last few hours together were, potentially, our final hours._

_What will happen to us? What will become of us?_

"So, team!" Sonic started, pacing back and forth in the middle of the workshop as he gave a speech to the fighters. "You guys, are great! All the training you've done will, no doubt, destroy that Egghead and his goons. Though I'm not gonna lie to ya. This fight will be the biggest fight we have ever faced. Eggman isn't holding back this time. We know his intentions are to kill Amy. If he's willing to kill her, he won't hesitate to kill anyone of you to get to her. Even if that's the case, I ask you all to give this war everything you've got. All of us are relying on Amy's survival. If she falls, we all do."

 _All of this was for me. Because of me. Because of who I am and the power I possess._ So _why can't my powers awaken now? Why can't I save the people I love? Why must my friends lose their hopes, their dreams, their lives. Just for me?_

Her rabbit friend placed her hand on her shoulder, bringing her back to reality. Amy slowly turned to the young girl, unable to bear a smile of reassurance. "Is everything okay, Amy?"

Why would she ask such a question? That question was meant for a time of little botheration. A minor annoyance. Like rain ruining your outdoor plans, when something you made hadn't turned out how you intended. Why, when they were on the verge of death, would she ask that?

Was she not scared?

Unable to speak any words, the pink hedgehog pulled her friend into a hug. She held her tightly, her hand fiddling with her hair to soothe both her friend and herself.

Startled by the sudden motion, Cream gasped and hesitated to return the gesture. Her hands slowly wrapped around the woman, holding her dearly. "Amy..."

"I love you, Cream." Amy squealed through her sobs. "Don't ever forget that."

The rabbit smiled, feeling herself begin to cry. "I love you too, Amy." She gripped onto her friend tightly. "Please don't cry. You know I cry whenever you cry.

Amy exhaled a faint laugh. "I know. You've always been my shoulder to cry on."

"And you were mine..." The young rabbit tried to hold back her sobs, emitting small whimpers from her bittersweet anguish. "You're the bestest friend I could ever ask for." She cried on the pink hedgehog's shoulder.

"So are you." Amy spoke incoherently between her weeping. The two friends clinged onto one another tightly and sobbed.

Watching the two friends cry against one another, the team expressed their solemn sympathy towards the two, most lowering their heads in woe.

Not wanting to be sucked into the emotional setting, Knuckles looked away and crossed his arms. "Girls. Always so emotional..." To his surprise, he witnessed the jewel thief beside him shed a few tears at the scene. "Don't tell me you're getting soppy too?!"

Rouge wiped away her tears and frowned at the echidna. "Have a heart, Knuckles! In less than twenty four hours, we could all be dead. Until then, we only have each other." Her voice broke after her deteriorating emotional state. Seeking comfort, the bat walked over to her female friends and joined the hug. "Room for another girl?" Amy and Cream welcomed the girl into the hug and together, they cried.

Unsettled, Blaze found herself also crying. She shortly joined her friends in the group hug.

"Is this seriously happening?" The echidna shook his head. The sound of whimpering faintly reached his ears. A deeper voice than any of the girls. Looking to the source of the cry, he was shocked to see Tails breaking into tears. "Tails?!"

The fox quickly wiped his eyes but an abundance of tears streamed down his cheeks soon after. "Don't judge me!"

Sonic grabbed onto Tails' shoulders and walked him over to the group hug. "Right behind ya, buddy." He offered his support to his best friend and the rest of the hugging companions.

Knuckles looked horrified towards the blue hedgehog. "You too, Sonic?!"

"C'mon, Knuckles. Where's your compassion? Your team needs you."

Bemused, the echidna watched as Cryptic and Silver also joined in on the hug. Shadow still remained on the outskirts of the little huddle, watching the girls, Tails and Cryptic cry their woes while Sonic and Silver offered consoling hugs to them all.

"S-Shadow..." Amy mumbled. The ultimate lifeform's ear twitched as he heard the mortal goddess call for him. Spotting her eyes on him, the dark hedgehog groaned to himself as he made his way over to the group and allowed the team to pull him in.

The team turned to the red male with expectancy. Scoffing, Knuckles turned away and huffed. "You're all barking up the wrong tree. I don't do hugs." They continued to stare at him in a deadly silence. "No way. Nuh-uh. Not happening."

In his defiance, he failed to see the team slowly approach him as his back was turned. Sonic grabbed the guardian's arm and pulled him into the group hug. With a yelp, the echidna fell into the centre.

Laughing through her tears at the guardian's usual grudging complaints to the unwanted contact, the pink hedgehog looked at all of her friends and held a heartwarming smile. "Of all the people I could witness the end with, I'm glad it was with all you guys." Her friends smiled back at her, they too believing her words for themselves. Sonic winked at his wife, still as confident as ever. "To the future." She toasted to the sentimental moment.

"To the future." Her friends spoke sincerely. They gripped one another tightly, seeking and earning the comfort of friendship in the harrowing times.

For may have been the last time.

* * *

"Okay. So I have confirmed evacuations from Spagonia and Apotos. Metropolis is still in progress and so is Emerald Hill. Luckily, the spokesmen, or women, from each location have confirmed they can have their citizens evacuated by tomorrow morning." Tails told the team as he pulled up the emails he had sent to the leaders of the countries.

"When do we move out?" Knuckles asked the young genius.

Looking at the communicator on his wrist, Tails checked the time as well as looked at the time stated on the email. "I'd say, probably 9:00am. With the evacuations succeeding around 7:00am, we can be sure less people will be affected in the war after that time."

"If only we could guarantee the Doctor will be lenient on the innocent." Shadow said, looking down at the ground.

"Shadow's right." Silver agreed with the black hedgehog. "How do we know if Eggman's gonna allow these evacuees to even evacuate? We'll have to get there sooner to assist."

"Uh..." Rouge raised her hand. "While I would absolutely hate to see the destruction of these citizens, can we remember that there's still only eleven of us against hundreds? We can't waste energy to save everyone."

"Neither can we sit back and let them die." Blaze glared at the bat.

Rouge rolled her eyes at the princess. "Please. If you really want to exhaust yourself for a bunch of people who honestly do not care to learn your name, be my guest." Rouge shrugged.

Before Blaze could answer Rouge, Tails stepped in and eased the tension. "Rouge, you conserve your energy." He told the bat before turning to the futuristic hedgehog. "If you can, Silver. We'll need to multiple portals to each location to make sure everyone has been evacuated. Once we've done that, we can finally take on Eggman."

Silver nodded back at the fox. "No problem. I've still got the chaos emerald Sonic gave me."

"Thank you." Tails nodded at the silver hedgehog. "With this new plan, we'll have to be up and ready by 7:00am."

Rouge glared at the cat. "A real saint to the people, aren't you?"

"Some of us have to be." The purple cat responded, refusing to look back at the jewel thief and ending their dispute.

"That leaves us with only sixteen hours, right?" Amy asked the twin-tailed fox.

Tails nodded in return. "Including sleep hours too."

"Great..." So according to her body clock, she would at least seven and half hours with her dearest.

Then again, who was going to be sleeping at a time like this?

A pair of arms laced around her, startling her. Looking up, she saw her husband smiling down at her. "No worries, Amy." He told her, as if he had read her mind and reassured her worries.

Bringing her hand up to rest on his cheek, she returned the smile and for a moment, allowed her worries to wash away.

* * *

Hearing the sounds of his rowdy team coming from the living room upstairs from of the workshop, Sonic chuckled as he could hear the group fall into dispute over a videogame they were playing.

As the team were preoccupied with their game, Tails had been tinkering with a high tech bracelet. The pair had been rather quiet in one another's company. Though with this possibly being the last one on one time they'd have, the brotherly pair cherished the silence just as much as the conversation.

"So, West Side Island... Where it all began." Sonic smiled to himself. "How's it feel to be going back to your home?"

Tails quickly looked up at the hedgehog before looking back down at what he was doing. "I have to admit, it does feel a little weird. So much has happened in these ten years, since we met there. I went from the geeky fox freak to-"

"Geeky mastermind?"

"I wasn't gonna go with that, but thanks. Can you believe it's really been that long?"

Sonic shook his head. "Feels just like yesterday when you were a little kid, right by my side. Not so little now."

Laughing bashfully, Tails stopped his tinkering momentarily and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, it's been quite an adventure..." He looked down solemnly at the project on his desk, remembering all their adventures together and how tomorrow could be the end of a heroic era.

Sonic walked up to the desk and stood near the fox. "There's plenty more adventures waiting for us. Don't you worry." He reassured his young friend.

The reassurance was just what he needed to hear. Self-assured in knowing Sonic was confident, he shook off the concerns of impending doom and smiled at his best friend. "You're right... We'll crack that egg and win this!"

"You know it, buddy!" The pair high fived one another.

Turning his attention back to his project, Tails continued to tinker away. "With this battling Eggman, I'm sure we'll beat him."

"What is it?" Sonic asked.

"I've been working on this project for nearly two years! Aaand it's... Done!" The fox placed the bracelet on his gloved wrist and twisted it. Suddenly, a fibre material began to spread up his arm and covered his entire body. Metal plates separated and covered his face, chest, arms and legs. Completely covered, golden lights illuminated along the outskirts of the metal plating.

"Whoa... You built a battle suit?" Sonic gasped in amazement.

The visor on Tails' helmet lifted, revealing his face. "Yep! The ultimate exo suit! Designed to withstand plasma beams, fire and bullets! It also has various weapons." He activated the guns on his shoulders. "Plasma guns." Next, he activated the long claws on his covered hands. "Designed for climbing **and** attacking." Bringing his arms up, the genius activated the blades hidden hidden in the metal plates on his forearms. "Blades."

Impressed, Sonic checked out the suit. "This has to be your most impressive invention yet! Is this the only one you've made?"

"I've made an extra. Only had enough to make two. Getting the carbon fiber wasn't much of a cost but the plating is real Rubellum. It's practically impenetrable! Cost me a fortune and a half to get enough to make this."

The hedgehog noticed the fox's tails were uncovered. "Uh, did you run out of material or something?"

The fox looked back at his tails. "Well, in the first few attempts of performing the flying experiment, the carbon fibre, while flexible, would get tangled. So I let them free."

"Doesn't that create a weak spot?"

Tails frowned. "Can't we just appreciate the effort that went into making the suit?"

Chuckling, Sonic nodded. "Sorry. The suit itself is pretty great! Who's gonna wear the other one?"

"I think Cryptic should wear the other one. He's had less experience in fighting compared to the rest of us."

"I like the way you put it. He's pretty terrible." He chuckled, remembering Knuckles losing his patience with the advisor numerous times during the training. "Though he's great at dishing the information out."

"Gee, I wonder why?" Tails rolled his eyes at the blue leader. Deactivating the suit, the material uncovered the teenager and eventually slipped back into the bracelet on his wrist. "With this technology, he'll be more than ready to fight."

"Great work, dude. Does he know how to use it?"

"Ah..." Tails blinked.

Hearing his team arguing, Sonic turned to the location of the voices and shook his head. "You can't leave those guys for a minute without something happening." Turning back to the fox, the pair nodded at one another and rushed up the stairs and into the living room. They saw Knuckles and Rouge arguing with controllers in their hands.

Sonic sighed and chuckled. "Why am I not surprised to see you picking a fight you can't win, Knuckles?"

"She's cheating!" He barked.

"Please. I won using skill. Something you obviously lack!"

"What was that?!" The echidna screamed at the woman.

Looking around the room, he could see his team stare hopelessly at the arguing pair. Realising Amy was nowhere in sight, the leader removed himself from the drama and seeked out his wife.

* * *

"Come on, come on. Awaken... Awaken." She told herself sternly as she sat, legs crossed, on Sonic's bedroom floor. Her goal was to bring upon her powers to save her friends. If she was able to tap into the chaos living within her, she'd be able to save all her friends and ultimately save her husband.

Though it was easier said than done. She had no clue what she was doing. In all her years she had spent with Sonic, she honestly hadn't learnt a whole lot about the power of chaos. She understood it was power enriched by the heart. She also knew how powerful the emeralds could be on their own and together. But actually using them? Not her strong suit.

Of course she had heard what Cryptic had said about her powers awakening naturally during this war but surely there was a way of preventing all of this? Surely she could gain at least some control, just to make this a little easier for her friends.

They couldn't afford to be defeated. As the Goddess of Chaos, she had an obligation to save everyone.

"Awaken... Awaken..." She squeezed her eyes shut in severe concentration. As she opened her eyes, the beaming white light from her eyes lit up the room. "Awake-"

Tunnel vision overcame her, teleporting her to a realm of complete darkness. Shrouded in a deathly silence, the mortal goddess stumbled through the dark, desperately seeking a meaning to this vision and more importantly, an exit.

The sounds of weeping hit her ears, causing them to twitch. She gasped, spinning on her heel towards the sound. Weak sobs from behind her beckoned her closer. Cautiously, she made her way towards the sound.

_"Somebody... Anybody... Help me... Please."_

She immediately stopped in her tracks. That voice. Of course she knew it. His voice that brought her heart to race. Only this time, his voice was filled with anguish, unfamiliar despair. _"Sonic?"_ She span around, trying to pinpoint his exact location.

A light appeared a few feet away from her, revealing her lover. The sight of him made her blood run cold, eyes dilated in horror. No, that couldn't be her beloved. Not her Sonic.

Strapped to an upright surgical table, was the blue leader. Amputated were his limbs, the remains being stubs of flesh, bandaged in now bloodied rags. He was blindfolded, his vision shunned from the world he had once ventured. The blindfold was soaked in what could only be his tears through the great torture he had endured and the cries for salvation. His chest area, particularly the area of his heart was covered in cotton gauze, covering the needles filled with drugs that had been jabbed into him to prevent cardiac arrest.

She couldn't comprehend what had happened to him. Who would do this to anybody? How did anybody capture Sonic and Why would they do this to him?

That was when it hit her.

This Sonic was the aftermath of her possible death. Succumbing to heartbreak, her husband was to be captured by Doctor Eggman and he would become the ultimate weapon to bring upon the Eggman Empire.

This was the first, torturous stage to becoming Metal Sonic.

 _"Sonic."_ Amy gasped. Her feet moved instinctively towards him, starting sluggish before she sprinted in front of him. She looked up at the hero, hesitant to touch him in fear of causing more pain. _"Sonic. I'm here. I'm with you."_

The blue hedgehog inhaled deeply, fresh tears streamed down his face at the sound of her voice. _"N-no. Please don't do this."_ He sobbed _. "Not her. Please, not her..."_ His head hung in despair, his tears once again soaking his blindfold. _"Amy..._ _"_ His voice squeaked in his sorrow, causing her heart to shatter.

He was certain the Doctor was tormenting him with the voice of his lover. That he was using some form of emotional torture by making him hear the voice of his wife. That sweet voice he missed so much. He would take the physical pain again, he would endure the torture he had received. Anything to not face this torment.

Broken by the sight of her lover, Amy moved her hand up to Sonic's cheek and tried to reassure him of her presence. _"Sonic."_ She swallowed back her sobs. _"Sonic, honey, it's me. It's Amy, your Amy. I'm here. I'm here for you."_

Still in disbelief, Sonic shook his head, refusing to listen. Understanding he didn't want to fall for any tricks from the Doctor, Amy gently moved her hands to his blindfold and pulled it down, leaving it to fall to rest on his shoulders and neck.

His eyes dilated as they met hers. He had to hallucinating. A side effects to the drugs he was been forced to take. This couldn't be Amy. She was dead. _"It can't be."_ He spoke as though breathless, still unable to fathom her presence.

She had been looking at his stubs for arms and legs, sobbing at his agony. _"I can't believe he's done this to you. He'll pay for this, I swear."_

 _"You... You're really her? Are you really here?"_ She looked back into his bloodshot eyes and forced a smile through her tears.

" _It's really me, Sonic. I must have crossed dimensions when I was trying to awaken my powers."_

He looked ahead into the darkness, lost in thought. _"You're ethereally here."_ Though visible, her spirit form was with him, not her entirely. That could only mean she was traveling across dimensions in a time where she was alive. This version of Amy was unable to save him from the Doctor's clutches. He chuckled softly, such a bittersweet circumstance he had been blessed with. _"At least I got to see you again."_ He looked back at her, smiling through his pain. _"Just once more... Before the inevitable."_

 _"I have to get you out of here."_ She insisted, looked at the various straps clinging to the remains of his body. She brought her hands to the straps and tried to loosen them. To her dismay, she was unable to even move the straps. _"What?"_ She gasped, confused by the lack of movement they possessed.

 _"You can't change what's happening to me right now."_ He spoke softly, already accepting his fate.

She jiggled the straps once more. _"I_ _can't just leave you here! Not like this!"_ She cried. _"_ _It'll be okay, Sonic. I'll get you out of here and you'll be okay._ _" She_ continued to try and move the restrictions off of him but to no avail. _"These_ _damn restraints!"_

 _"It's okay, Amy."_ He spoke gently to his wife. _"Someday, I'll come back to you. I swear."_

 _"No, Sonic. Not like him. I can't let you turn into Metal... I just can't..."_ She sobbed, lowering her head in grief. Sonic closed his eyes solemnly, unable to face his weeping wife and not be able to console her.

He forced himself to look back at her and tried to comfort her with words. _"You have the power to prevent this, Amy."_

Slowly, she looked back at him with doe eyes, filled with tears. _"How? I can't even use my powers on will. How can I save you?"_

 _"I believe in you. Always have, always will."_ He smiled at her, his voice carried certainty and confidence. Just like it always had.

Her eyes danced with adoration towards her husband. Even when he had seen the bad future take place, beared through the torture and torment from Doctor Eggman and knew he would bring down the world he helped to build, he still believed in her. Still held onto hope.

Letting out a shaky breath, she gazed lovingly into his eyes. _"I will stop this from happening. I promise."_

 _"Don't doubt it for a second."_ He said, mustering his signature grin. His features softened once more as he returned her loving gaze. _"I love you, Amy."_

She swallowed back her heavy emotions. _"I love you too, Sonic."_ She stood on her tiptoes and placed mournful kiss on his dry lips. Such a heavenly feeling it was to feel her sweet kiss after so long. He had almost forgotten the softness of her touch, the gentleness she provided in such a tragic times.

Pulling away from him, Amy brushed his cheek with her thumb as her hand moved to his face. _"Remember my promise."_

_"I will."_

The sound of a door opening and closing alerted the couple. Looking into the distance, they heard heavy footsteps coming towards them. Panic laced across Sonic's features. _"It's Eggman! You've got to get outta here!"_

_"But-"_

_"Just go!"_ He ordered, giving her a stern look.

Startled by his outburst, Amy did as she was told and ran into the darkness. Looking back, she saw Doctor Eggman approaching Sonic. Though still possibly anxious for his own safety, the blue leader held his stern expression and strong composure.

 _"Well, my blue friend. I think you're ready for your transformation! Together, we'll take over the world and create the Eggman Empire!"_ He pulled out a remote control from his back pocket and clicked on the big, red button at the top of the device. _"This may hurt a little."_ He sneered.

To her horror, Amy couldn't bring herself to look away as she witnessed mechanical arms surround the blue hedgehog and proceed to mutate him into the Metal she knew and feared. His harrowing screams echoed through the realm as they performed the excruciating surgery. _"Sonic!"_ She began to run back towards him. She was close enough to see the single tear fall down his face before a metal helmet covered his face. His once emerald eyes had been replaced with ruby red.

 _"SONIC!"_ She screamed. Her wails faded to nothing as she too, disappeared from the realm.

* * *

Uncovering his eyes from the now fading light, Sonic looked to his wife who had returned from her visions. She gasped, looking around frantically as if searching for someone. Upon seeing him stood just a few steps away, she jumped at first but quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him to his knees. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried on his shoulder.

"Sonic." She breathed out in relief.

"Everything alright?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her waist. "What did you see?"

She refrained from telling him exactly what she saw. Sonic had been the most hopeful in their victory, telling him what she had seen could leave him feeling doubtful. He didn't, nor the team, need that. "Nothing." She pushed her concerns aside. "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

"Amy..." Sonic pestered on, grabbing her shoulder and gently moving her to arms length. "If something's up, you can tell me." He smiled reassuringly.

Rather than tell him of the bad future she had experienced, Amy brought up the issue she had with her powers. Or lack thereof. She sighed and looked down at the floor. "I tried to awaken my powers."

Sonic tutted at her, making light of the situation. "Ames. They'll come to you. Don't sweat it."

"But I can't help it, Sonic. As the Goddess of Chaos, I have an obligation to protect the world from evil. Isn't that what Vessels were created for? To prevent evil from taking control? History has proven that the Vessels are nothing but almighty observers. Sitting back and allowing those oppressing to bring them down. I can't allow that. I have to take responsibility and be the true Vessel of Chaos. If not for myself, then for you..."

Admiring her determination, the blue hedgehog smiled and pressed his forehead against hers. "You will be the greatest ruler we could ask for. Until then, trust in your teammates. Together, we will defeat that Egghead."

Sighing, Amy nuzzled her head gently against his. "How do you stay so positive and sure all the time?"

"Because." He began, lifting her chin with his finger to look into her eyes. "I believe you can save me, Ames." He spoke softly, successfully melting her heart. That same faith remained even in her death.

Staring back into his emerald eyes, she could see the glazing of desire overcoming them. They softened, widened pupils adoringly gazing back at her. Gradually, his eyes trailed to her lips, instinctively causing hers to become slightly agape as if inviting him in. His own pair mimicked her actions, accepting the invitation. Bringing his hand to rest on her cheek, Sonic leaned forward and softly brushed his lips against her own, momentarily teasing her before planting an anticipated kiss.

Built up tension in their restraint over the past week of training caused the simple greeting of their lips to escalate drastically to a passionate kiss. With the priorities of the war taking over and both of them wanting to respect their friends enough to not continuously display their affection, it was a relief to finally have a moment to express their love and let off some steam.

Pulling the girl on top of him, Sonic got up from the floor and moved them both onto the bed. He placed her on his former bed gently and towered over her as they continued their kiss. Their hands entwined, laying on either side of Amy's head, both squeezing on another's hands affectionately and to ease their growing arousal.

Breaking their kiss, Amy breathed in deeply and looked lustfully to her partner. "Are we really gonna do this with everybody literally being in the room next to us?"

He grinned. "We've been pretty considerate this past week. The least they can do is let us have this time to ourselves."

"Shadow will kill you if he finds out." Amy grinned mischievously.

"I know. The guy's been watching me like a hawk ever since you told everyone about our wedding night activities. Just you wait, on our actual wedding night, he's gonna be standing in the corner, glaring at me if I so much as look at you." He laughed along with his wife. "You better not lay a finger on Rose, hedgehog." He impersonated the ultimate lifeform.

Amy chortled with laughter. "Oh wow, you sounded just like him!" Her laughter settled. "But yeah, I can see that happening." She bit her lip coyly. "Do you wanna risk it?"

"Pfft." Sonic scoffed. "Shadow doesn't scare me and you are worth the risk any day."

An approving giggle escaped her lips before he brought their lips together in another passionate kiss. Moving her arms to rest on his shoulders, Sonic moved his own to her waist, both emitting sighs of satisfaction from finally having time to themselves.

**Knock, knock, knock.**

Breaking their kiss abruptly, the couple turned their heads towards the door. Sonic seized his breathing, hoping whoever interrupted them would go away and for the love of chaos, not let it be Shadow on the opposite side. Although, if it had been Shadow, the door would have been kicked off it's hinges by now.

"Ssh." Sonic placed his finger over Amy's lips and stared intensely at the door. From his intense staring, he realised the door was still unlocked. Gasping, the hero dashed to the door and was about to lock it when he heard the voice from the other side.

"Sonic?" Cryptic called. "A-are you in there?"

Sighing with relief, Sonic cautiously opened the door slightly and poked his head out to see if anyone was with the badger. "What's up?" He looked to the advisor.

"Forgive me, Sonic. The freedom fighters were on the subject of this evening's meal and were wondering if you and M-Miss Rose will be joining?"

Looking over his shoulder to his wife, now sat up in bed and staring back at him, expecting his quick return to her. Sonic turned back to the advisor. Of all the people to interrupt them, he was glad it was one of his own most loyal subjects. "Just save some for us." He told the badger. Bowing his head to the young Emperor, Cryptic was about to leave when Sonic stopped him. "Wait." Turning back to the hedgehog he awaited an order. "Could you be a guy and not let them know we're both in here? Especially Shadow. " He spoke quietly.

Understanding the intentions, Cryptic nodded with minor uncertainty. "What would you like me to say, reg-garding your absence?"

Growing impatient by the distraction from the time with his wife, Sonic attempted to end the conversation. "Just tell 'em I'm on a run and Amy's having a nap."

"Of course, Sonic." Cryptic bowed his head.

Glad to finally have the conversation over, Sonic quickly nodded his tha at the badger and began to close the door. "Great! Thanks, Crypt." He said before shutting the door.

Walking out of the living room, Tails looked towards the advisor at the end of the hall, noticing him standing outside Sonic's door. "Hey, Cryptic. Did you find Sonic and Amy?"

Cryptic walked up to the young fox and told the false information given to him by Sonic. "Amy is having a nap. She has informed me that S-Sonic has gone for a run."

"Huh. Alright then. We'll just leave some for them. You gonna have dinner with us?"

He nodded in response and followed the fox into the kitchen to join the team in making dinner.

With the distraction out of sight, Sonic made sure to lock the door before returning back to his wife. "That should keep them away for a bit." He smirked.

The blue hero climbed back onto the bed and started their unfinished business once more. Placing her hands on his face, Amy welcomed him back with an amorous kiss. He eagerly returned the kiss and pulled her close. In quick action, he moved her onto her back, the swift motion causing her to giggle.

Sonic broke the kiss and placed his finger to his lip, shushing the woman. "Quiet."

"Sorry." She whispered, giggling quietly. "It'll be challenging to not make a sound."

"Heh." He grinned. Taking her comment to his ego. "You're a powerful goddess with the power of chaos running through your veins, I think you're strong enough to hold back."

Grinning, her arms wrapped around his neck and brought their lips close. "I hold no promises to that." The couple shared a soft chuckle before locking their lips in another passionate kiss.

Finally exiting their bedroom, the couple giggled in their embrace. Both giddy after relieving pent up stress. Taking her hand in his, Sonic lead the girl to the kitchen to get their meals. Opening the door, they were instantly met with stares, some awkward faces and smirks.

Confused, Sonic raised his eyebrow quizzically. "Uh... You guys alright?"

"Did you sleep well, Amy?" Rouge asked, beaming a traitorous smile.

A light blush appeared on Amy cheeks as she was forced to lie. "Uh, yeah. It was great..." She said timidly, looking down at the floor as she spoke.

Their friends chuckled quietly amongst one another. "Okay." Sonic sighed, growing impatient with their giggling. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing." The bat snickered. "It's just, for someone who was sleeping, you sure made that headboard move a lot." Her smile widened as the couple blushed deeply and looked elsewhere in shame. "Oh and I heard everything." Rouge pointed to her ears, referring to her advance hearing. "Quite the performance, Sonic. I'm impressed."

Shadow stepped forward, his face expressionless. "You've been messing with Rose, Faker?" Despite his emotionless face, his tone of voice was threatening and filled with his irritation.

Already too embarrassed by the exposure, the blue hedgehog lifted his head slowly and opened his mouth to speak. Taking in a deep breath, the leader dashed out of the kitchen and downstairs the stairs, out of the workshop.

"Hmph!" The ultimate lifeform teleported out of the kitchen in pursuit of his rival.

Watching her husband flee the awkward situation, Amy slowly turned back to the team, they were staring back at her with the same smirks and smiles they had on her and Sonic's entrance. "I'm just, uh, gonna take a shower..." She said bashfully as she backed away and left the room. Hearing her friends giggling behind her, the mortal goddess groaned out her embarrassment and locked herself in the bathroom, washing away her shame with the warm shower.

* * *

That day had arrived. That day she, along with the rest of the team, had been preparing for. The day of the war with Doctor Eggman. Death or victory? Glory or demise? It was the first time, in all their years of fighting with the Doctor, that the fear of death hung over them. Heading straight into battle and leaving doubt behind was their thing. Perhaps it was knowing what was to come? Knowing that losing one member of their team would doom the world.

And of all people, that was her. Just had to be her.

Even if she would be considered the strongest amongst them _with_ her powers, the fact that they were still dormant before the battle made her vulnerable. Not to say she couldn't defend herself. With her trusty hammer, she was a definite worthy opponent. But would she say she was the strongest member of the team? Definitely not.

Just why did it have to be her? If Sonic had been the God of Chaos, this war would have been over before it had started. Even Shadow, Knuckles, Blaze or Rouge... Basically everyone else but her.

They were doomed...

Watching as Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles and Blaze each stepped out of individual portals, they looked to Tails and confirmed the evacuation of each location with a nod. Tails nodded, awaiting signal from the leader to allow Silver to create the final portal.

The blue leader joined the waiting members of the group and made his way to Amy, noticing her face full of doubt. He pulled her into a hug and whispered into her ear. "Volcano Wonderpants."

"What?" She laughed as she gave him a confused look.

Her husband chuckled with her. "Got you to laugh. Did that take your mind off the battle?"

"For a moment... I'm just-"

"Scared?"

"Yeah..."

Sonic sighed hopelessly and smiled at his wife. "Ames. It'll be fine. How many times have we battled Eggman and been close to death? This won't be any different."

"But the world didn't rely on me all those other times! Of all the people in the world to inherit this power, why me? Why not anyone of you guys? You're all stronger than me. Why am I the chosen one?" Her head rested on his chest as she looked down at the ground and forced her tears back.

"Amy..." Sonic consoled her. "You were born for this. All of this was destined for us." She looked up at him with teary eyes, her uncertainty slowly fading from his confident words. He held her hand and looked deeply into her eyes. "We'll win this, we'll be rulers of some undiscovered place and you'll be my own personal breeding machine." He winked and playfully grinned.

"Sonic!" Amy gasped, playfully slapping his chest.

"I'm kidding! Well, kinda. I'll have to get passed Shadow first." He rubbed the back of his head where the dark hedgehog had punched him the evening prior for his behaviour with Amy. "I think he's a little confused about the definitions of brother and chastity belt."

Amy giggled and moved her hand to the back of his head, gently rubbing his minor injury. "He means well." She smiled as she continued to rubbed his head. "Are you okay?"

"He got me good." he spoke quietly to her, successfully gaining the sympathy he had been looking for.

"My poor baby." She said in a jokingly patronising voice before embracing her chuckling husband.

"Uh, hello?" Tails called to the lovers, causing them to look his way. "No biggie or anything. Just the world in peril..."

"Oh right. Yeah, of course..." Clearing his throat and letting go of the pink hedgehog, Sonic held a serious look and began to address the team. "Give it your all, team. Together, we'll win this! For Aurielle!"

"For Aurielle!" The team called back to him.

Feeling awkward by the use of her real name, Amy blushed. She looked around at her friends, seeing them smiling back at her with determination. She smiled back and discarded her doubt. While she had little faith in herself, she had a lot of hope in her team.

Tails nodded to Silver. Using the chaos emerald in his hand, Silver opened the final portal to Hill Top Zone. He stepped back, allowing his ancestors to move in front of it.

Sonic took Amy's hand in his and gave it a final reassuring squeeze. She turned to him, exchanging the nod he had given her before the pair stepped into the portal with their friends following shortly behind.

Stepping out of the portal, the team immediately froze at what they had seen. The remaining greenery that inhabited Hill Top Zone had been reduced to smoke and charcoal. Ash from the trees that once thrived on the land, filled the air in little particles along with the smell of smoke and sulfur.

The landscape wasn't the only thing that stopped them in their tracks. On the opposite side of the volcanic plane stood Eggman's army, ready to make their way to Sonic and crew. They had known of Eggman's army and how many he had created, but seeing the various robots before them brought the pressure up dramatically.

"Are they all here now?" Eggman asked Orbot.

"Yes sir. We have all seven hundred and forty nine robots."

"What? Seven hundred and forty nine? Why forty nine? What happened to the last robot?!" Eggman shrieked at his metal assistant.

Cubot looked to the Egg Guardian that had fallen into one of the lava pits. "I tried to warn them. It's lava, not a a hot tub."

Groaning, the doctor sat back in his egg mobile and shrugged off the annoyance of an odd numbered army. "Still, with this many robots, Sonic and his team will be overwhelmed by my excellence." Eager to get to the Freedom Fighters and finally get his redemption, Eggman stood up from his seat and pointed straight ahead. "Alright, robots. Onward! It's time to seize the Eggman Empire, once and for all!"

"Uh, boss..." Cubot pointed to their left. "Sonic and his team are already over there."

"Hm?!" Looking to his left, Eggman appeared to be momentarily surprised before he sneered. "Ah. Look who decided to show his face? How brave of them to face such an army. Grinning, Eggman pressed a button on his egg mobile, turning on his microphone. "Long time no see, Sonic! How do you like my army? I have built the greatest army of robots for this momentous battle!"

Sonic scowled, holding Amy's hand tightly.

"I'm sure you understand what is to become of our futures from this moment on. No personal feelings, it's just, for the sake of my empire coming true, your precious Amy has to hit the dust!"

"Over my dead body..." Sonic growled under his breath.

Eggman looked somewhat dissatisfied and puzzled by the lack of response. "Is he responding to me?"

"I believe Sonic doesn't possess a microphone to carry out such a long distance conversation, Doctor." Orbot shrugged to his master.

Slumping back in his flying chair, Eggman rubbed his chin. "Ah, yeah. Didn't think about that..."

"They can still hear us talking, boss!" Cubot alerted the Doctor.

"Oh!" Eggman looked back to the freedom fighters and waved his fist. "For the Eggman Empire! Robots, attack!" He commanded his army. The fleet turned their bodies to the fighters and began to charge their way. The Egg Gunners, Fighters, Guardians and Swat Bots marched forwards while the Egg Hunters flew ahead. The Death Egg and Death Egg Sentinels slowly stepped towards the Sonic Team, destroying the ground beneath them.

Watching the robot army heading their way. Sonic pointed towards the enemy and roared a battle cry. "For Aurielle!"

With brave hearts, the team roared back the cry of war as they charged onto the volcanic battlefield. "For Aurielle!"


	12. This Battle Shows Our Paths

Chapter Twelve: This Battle Shows Our Paths

_"Someday. I'll come back to you."_

_"I'll come back..."_

_"Someday."_

_"To you..."_

_"Amy Rose."_

By his creator's side, the metal hedgehog would stand. Beside his arch nemesis, as his most loyal creation. Together, they conquered every country, one by one, destroying years of civilisations within moments. The civilisations he had once protected stood at his feet, desolated and ruined.

He had seen the despair of the people he had always protected. He had heard every scream, from elderly, to child. He had witnessed the heartache of those who remained after the destruction and how their fates had turned out all too familiar to his own. Broken, torn asunder and then put to work on the diabolical plans of Doctor Eggman.

At first, he had tried to fight the control the Doctor had installed into his new artificial intelligence. He fought to save his friends as the plasma beam built up within his robotic chest. How he screamed as his own body could do nothing whilst his friends were brought to ashes before him, one by one. There were times he could still hear them begging him, persuading him that this wasn't him and how the Sonic they knew would overcome his own suffering and unite the world once more.

His only comfort in his eternal dolour, were the cries and pleas of his deceased friends.

That, and the Doctor himself.

It was a twisted perception. Sonic The Hedgehog, deemed Doctor Eggman, as his family. It would never happen in any alternative situation. In fact, it shouldn't have happened in any situation. This man, who had killed his beloved wife, robotised him, forced him to kill every one of his friends and destroy the world he had spent his whole life protecting, had become his only reason for existing. The survivors feared him, everyone he had loved and cared for was gone... But the Doctor was always there. Praising him every step of the way in the process of building the Eggman Empire.

He was all he had left.

Then one day, it all changed. A woman, a regal woman, appeared to him. One so familiar and yet so mysterious. She had a beguiling smile as she held up her hand in front of him and clicked her fingers. That single click brought back the memories he had long forgotten. The memories of her, his love. The promise they shared. A promise that denied fate and would change their destiny. To someday return to her and prevent all of this from ever happening.

That eye opening promise had been both a blessing and a curse. While it brought back his memory of his deceased wife and provided him with the hope and strength to shatter the control Eggman had over him, it also drove him to insanity. He could see who he was, what he was, all he had done. The screams of the fallen intensified, the images of his grovelling friends before they charred to dust became so vivid and reoccurring.

The most chronic symptom of his madness? Seeing the hallucination of Amy turn away in disgust to his actions and run away in fear of him. It was too much to bear.

Despite the unbearable pain of his lover's repulse, he was determined to correct his past. To be with her once more and bring on the future he longed for. As her devoted husband and father to their children, rulers of the world.

And so, using the power of the chaos emeralds he had stolen from Eggman, he went in search for his lover through time.

Only, that had backfired on him too.

He really wasn't good at pinpointing portals. Even with Amy on his mind during his use of chaos control, he still wound up in the wrong time. He was ten years too soon. Fearing he'd mess up his chances by travelling to another wrong point in time, he chose to take his chances where he landed. Yet, in his long, gruelling wait, he found himself full of regret.

She had moved on.

His beautiful wife. The love of his life. She was with another man. Another hedgehog. A replica of himself, no less. Rage built up within him. Seeing his sweetheart canoodling with some other guy. And worse? He rejected her advances! Pushed her away whenever she would try to cuddle him, propose to him, try to love him.

Infuriated, he had intervened on what seemed to be their first encounter. He snatched her from this imposter and fled with her in tow. He wanted to express his hurt. He wanted her to know just how betrayed he felt. Unable to do much as sound a few words, he did what he did best, he ran... Or rather flew.

To his surprise, she had been completely neurotic and hysterical to be in his arms. She had stared at him intensely, shock expressed across her immature features. Once their eyes met, she shrieked and screamed uncontrollably.

It was his worse nightmare come true. She had petrified. Of him. Again, not being able to talk, he could do nothing to persuade her out of her hysteria.

His turmoil didn't stop there. After that phoney appeared to rescue her, she had swooned over him in his victory, eyes practically possessed with hearts over this guy. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He didn't want to believe. How could she do this to him? His beloved wife, had moved on? Forgotten him?

He told himself there was an explanation for all of this. That maybe she was simply thrown off by his appearance. After contemplating the situation obsessively, he was sure this little version of his wife was innocent to the truth. To her powers, her love for _him_ and their promise. She just needed time to realise who he was, that was all. It would come to her eventually, just like it had taken awhile to get to him.

In a few failed attempts, he watched as she ran from him every time he tried to get close. The fear that danced in her eyes every time she saw him. It broke him, filled him with more injustice, anger, resentment. Partially towards her but mainly towards that fake hedgehog. He was the only Sonic. If this fraud thought he could take his girl away from him, he had another thing coming.

So he waited, watching from afar as the love of his life yearned for this other man, made herself the fool for this other man, got her heart destroyed by this other man countless times and yet still continued to put herself through such tragedy. He just didn't understand it. Over and over, he would watch her pour, scream, cry her heart out to this hedgehog and all he had to do was say a few reassuring words, give a little gift here and there and she was ready to marry him all over again.

While he thought it was pathetic, and tragic, he couldn't help but woefully sympathise with his wife and actually feel bad himself. When he looked back on his own actions, he remembered doing the same thing to her. For years, in fact. Had this been how she had felt with him? Had he made her just as broken?

He would have done anything to change that.

Ten years finally passed and her powers began to sprout, drawing him in once more. He prayed, after watching her, night after night, having her clairvoyant visions, that she'd remember him; their promise. The blue bot had come too far, waited too long for her memories to fail her.

In these final hours of tribulation, he needed her to remember more than ever.

* * *

Tremendous was their battle. Mortal versus machine at heavy odds in their strive for victory. Miraculously, there had been more oil spilt than blood. With so little of them compared to Eggman's fleet, splitting up to leviate the masses was an obstacle they were struggling to overcome. The sky team, consisting of Rouge, Cream and Cheese, were tackling the Egg Hunters. The flying machinery had proven to be somewhat challenging in their own right. Sonic was right, Eggman was not holding back. His typical designing for these robots improved drastically.

With the Egg Gunners and Fighters; as well as the Swat Bots being the ground level, team made them their main targets to defeat. With four hundred in total of the two legged, ground level enemies to get through; they were relying on the majority of their minimal allies to take them down first.

Sticking close to her lover, Amy was forced to rely on her trusted Piko Piko hammer to fend off their enemies. Her fixation to make her powers work had proven to make them ineffective. No matter how she tried to concentrate, she remained powerless. With her limited power expressing her vulnerability, she forced herself to give everything she had into her physical abilities.

"Ames, tag team with me!" Sonic called out to her upon resurfacing from the smoke of another fallen robot.

Grabbing onto his hand, the girl was propelled towards the Egg Hunters above them. She span her hammer around at high speeds, creating a vibrant pink whirlwind in the middle of the battlefield. The nearby Egg Gunners and Fighters were sucked into the deadly hurricane, giving Sonic an easy pathway to her.

Grinning with eagerness, Sonic leapt into the whirlwind and used the flailing robots as jump pads to reach Amy. "Now for a bit of Sonic spin ball!" He spin dashed towards her and allowed her to knock him out of the whirlwind with her hammer and into their enemies. He smashed into the Egg Hunters, bouncing from one to another like a pinball and watching them blow up in the air. "Thirty down. About a hundred or more to go."

He spin dashed back into the whirlwind and grabbed Amy's hand. "Time for the grand finale, babe." She nodded back at him and gripped his hand tightly. Spinning rapidly while high in the air with his wife in tow, Sonic forcefully threw the girl back towards the ground.

Swinging her hammer back, Amy harshly swung it forward and slammed the heavy hammer into the ground, emitting shock waves that trembled through the ground and knock everyone down in close proximity.

Whilst the close range targets were knocked down, Sonic performed a homing attack on them. The machines exploded and filled the air with particles of metal and smoke. Running back to Amy, he stopped behind her and covered her back as the other robots began to get back up. "Nicely done, Amy."

"I was gonna say the same to you." She looked at him over her shoulder, seeing him do the same and grin back at her.

"And you said you needed your powers to fight. You're doing great without 'em." He winked.

She blushed, smiling at his encouragement. "Still, let's hope they make an appearance soon."

Sonic nodded. "Until then, keep it up!"

"Roger."

Witnessing his robots getting destroyed, Eggman growled and slammed his hand down on his Egg Mobile. "Those pesky rodents are wrecking my robots!"

Cubot tilted his head. "Isn't that how these fights are supposed to go?"

"No, you bag of bolts! This isn't just any regular fight, this battle decides the future! I need to win this!"

"We still have plenty of robots at your disposal, Doctor Eggman, Sir." Orbot pointed out. "All the Death Egg and Death Egg Sentinels are still fully functioning."

Grumbling at his current position in battle, Eggman's thumb gently brushed the button on the remote in his hand, contemplating whether to continue to see how things would play out or whether to throw in his backup plan. The Doctor looked down at the built-in monitor in his Egg Mobile and checked the number of remaining robots. He had started with seven hundred and fifty; with one falling into the lava right before the battle commenced. Now, he had six hundred and seventy nine.

Correction, six hundred and seventy five.

The battle was still rather young. With only being a few hours into the fight, it was still too soon to give up on his creations. With the Death Egg and Sentinels still available, he had a good amount of hope in his succession.

Eggman sat back in his chair and watched the battle from a fair distance, particularly focusing his sights on the hedgehog couple. "Let's see how this plays out." He sneered. "Maybe a little distraction will level the field a bit." The round man looked up at his gigantic robots. "Robots, attack those vermin!"

The eyes of the Death Egg and Sentinels peered down at the battle on the plane below. Their eyes targeted the Freedom Fighters and locked onto them. Charging their attacks, the colossal machines fired in sync and unified their lasers into one mega beam towards the team.

"Oh come on..." Sonic muttered in disbelief.

"Everybody! Huddle around me!" Silver cried out.

Acting quickly, the team rushed towards the silver hedgehog. With everybody assembled around him, Silver created a substantial force field and shielded the team from the attack. The beam penetrated the surface of the shield harshly, causing a lot of strain for the futuristic hedgehog. He groaned and grunted in his struggle to hold on the sustained lasers.

"You can do it, Silver." Blaze encouraged him.

"Yeah! You got this!" Cream added, her fist balled with determination.

Silver's legs shook as the weight of their lasers began to damage the force field around them. "I... can't hold it... much longer." He spoke through his gritted teeth. More Sentinels turned towards the fighters and charged their lasers, releasing their attacks onto the force field. "Ugh." Silver grunted, falling to one knee.

"Silver!" Amy gasped. She lunged forward and grabbed his shoulder. The contact with her descendent triggered the harnessing process and transferred her power into him.

Feeling the rush of power racing through him, Silver slowly got back up onto his feet. With the newfound energy, the hedgehog force pushed the lasers back, hurling them back at the eye of the Death Egg robots and Sentinels. The mighty robots exploded on the spot, narrowing the robot count from six hundred and seventy five, to six hundred and sixty two.

"Way to go, Silver." The team cheered.

Sonic looked down at his light-headed partner whom had fallen back into his arms after exchanging her energy. "You alright?"

The pink hedgehog looked back at her lover and smiled. "I'm great." She said sluggishly. He carefully placed her on the ground and helped her remain stable. With the force field no longer protecting them, the couple; as well as the rest of the team, got into battle stances.

Angered by their small victory, Eggman growled and switched on his microphone. "You may have bested a few of my robots but there's a lot more of them than there are of you!"

Even with that fact, he was anxious. Years of defeat left him rather doubtful and watching his robot count drop to nearly one hundred within the morning, he was understandably nervously. If he was to finally achieve the Eggman Empire, he would need to get Amy away from Sonic. Rather than attacking at full force on the main targets, maybe wasting a bit of ammunition on Sonic's friends as a distraction would be a better tactic. "Hehe." He chuckled menacingly to himself before typing in coordinates and demands into his Egg Mobile to transmit to his creations.

The Egg Hunters responded to the unspoken command by turning their full attention towards the Sky Team. Numerous flying robots headed straight for Rouge, Cream and Cheese, bearing their six pod units that hovered around each Hunter. The flying fighters flew around, trying to swerve and deflect the lasers coming from the hovering pods.

"They sure are persistent, aren't they?" Rouge panted as she evaded the lasers.

"Don't fight them, Cheese! Just hold onto me!" Cream insisted. The Chao clinged to her tightly, burying his face into Cream's top as she too evaded the lasers from the unit pods. A laser brushed passed her head, causing the young rabbit to shriek in fear.

Jumping into action, Tails leapt into the air and punched the unit pod away from his rabbit friend. Cream gasped, watching the exo suit-covered fox come to her aid. "Cream, don't stop! Rendezvous with Rouge, quickly!" He ordered, grabbing another unit pod and using its own laser to destroy the rest of the hovering pods.

Still in a slight daze of awe, Cream shook her head and nodded at the genius. "Right!" She flew back to the bat with Cheese and left the heavy combat to Tails.

Cryptic also attempted to jump up to the action and assist his fox friend. In his leap, he had been overzealous, projecting himself from one side of the battlefield, to the other. "Aaargh!" He screamed, falling onto a swatbot with strong impact.

"Nice work, Cryptic!" Tails praised the badger.

"This suit is certainly substantial, Tails! However, I'm afraid I am not giving it m-much justice." The advisor said.

Fighting nearby, Knuckles slammed his fist into the chest of an Egg Guardian and used his other fist to punch the destroyed bot into another Egg Guardian approaching him, knocking them both into a pit of lava. "No time to doubt yourself, Cryptic! Get busy!" He reprimanded the advisor and turned his attention on incoming Swat Bots.

"Y-yes, Sir." Cryptic looked down at his hands momentarily in the midst of the battle. He had never been a fighter. Ever. Not only was he not built to be a mighty warrior, he also saw himself as a pacifist. In his mind, anything could be solved by simply talking things through logically and tactfully. Of course he was aware some people were too hostile to negotiate with but if there were any hostile enemies, there would always be someone else to take up the challenge.

That someone was not him.

Still, desperate times called for his assistance.

Looking up, he saw an Egg Fighter heading his way. He whimpered in panic.

"Cryptic!" Tails called to the badger. "You can do it! Remember everything we taught you!" The fox was soon distracted by the Egg Hunters firing from their cannons towards him. The fox dodged the attacks and pulled out his own cannons on his shoulders. He fired plasma lasers back at the Hunters, destroying the six of them with ease.

"Come on. Don't quit on us now!" Knuckles said before punching his way through a dozen Egg Gunners.

Encouraged by the words of his allies, Cryptic braced himself for battle as the Egg Fighter came his way. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly and swung his fist. Surprisingly, he felt the collision of his fist hit the robot. Opening his eyes, he saw the Egg Fighter fly off his feet and land into a Swat Bot. Cryptic gasped and cheered to his own victory. "I struck him! I defeated that rapscallion!" His cheers were brought to an abrupt end when the knocked down Egg Fighter and Swat Bot rose to their feet. "Oh... Perhaps not."

Sonic and Amy came to the advisor's rescue, smashing and spin dashing the two robots away from him. "Great to see you getting the hang of fighting, Crypt. You might wanna hold off on the celebrations though."

"Ah, yes. Of course." Cryptic nodded.

"Cheese!" Cream's screams caught their attention. They turned towards the rabbit and gasped as they witnessed the Chao falling from the sky. He had been badly injured by a laser from the Egg Hunter's cannon. The young rabbit flew after him, ignoring the Egg Hunters around her.

"Cream, wait!" Amy rushed over to grab the falling Chao. She leapt into the air and grabbed the wounded Chao. The Egg Hunters spotted the pink hedgehog and quickly acquired her as their target.

"Amy!" Sonic warned the girl. He dashed towards her, ready to fight off the incoming Egg Hunters. Seven Egg Guardians circled him, cutting him off. Growling at the obstacle, he looked up briefly to the pink hedgehog before preparing himself for the fight with the Guardian robots.

Springing on the head of an Egg Gunner, Shadow used chaos spears to destroy the incoming Egg Hunters. Using his teleportation, he punched and kicked his way through the robots surrounded the mortal goddess and quickly grabbed her before she fell to the floor. "You okay?" He asked her.

"Yes. Thank you, Shadow. But Cheese is badly hurt." She looked down at the Chao in her arms. "I'm sorry, Cheese."

"This isn't your fault."

"All of this is for me, Shadow. If I weren't a Vessel, this war wouldn't be happening." He looked away in shame.

"That may be so. But we are all here by choice. To save the world and to save you. Save your self pity for the aftermath." His tough love words motivated her enough to give him a face of determination and a firm nod. Placing the girl on her feet, Amy rushed over to Cream and placed Cheese in her arms.

Cream held her Chao close to her and cried softly. "Oh Cheese. Please be okay."

Growing impatient with the Egg Guardians, Sonic spin dashed through their chest plates, weaving in and out of the Guardians from front to back. The blue hedgehog shot out of the smoke in the wake of the exploding robots and landed harshly beside the pink hedgehog. He looked over the Chao in Cream's arms. "Is he breathing?"

"His breathing is slow." Cream squealed through her sobs.

Amy looked down as the guilt began to surface on her face. "I can heal him." She looked back up at the rabbit. "I've healed Sonic before. I can do the same for Cheese."

"You don't have your full powers right now." Shadow reminded her.

"I know that!" Amy spat out her frustration. "I just have to do something! I can't let him die!"

"Incoming!" Knuckles roared in regards to the Death Egg falling from the sky above them.

Sonic grabbed his wife and dashed out of the way, with Shadow doing the same to Cream and Cheese. Unbeknownst to them and the rest of the team, Eggman had began to slowly approach and had ordered the Death Eggs to cause a distraction. The Death Eggs continued to jump onto the battlefield, creating hurdles and little room to move.

"Now!" Eggman ordered.

The robots fired their ammunition at the Fighters, forcing them to split. Sonic gripped onto Amy and moved her to face his chest as he reached greater speeds to avoid the assault. While evading the lasers and bullets, he failed to notice the Egg Hunter swooping down and knocking both him and Amy off the ground.

"Argh!" Sonic grunted, rolling across the ground harshly. Realising what had happened, Sonic quickly jumped up and looked for Amy. "Amy!"

"Do it now!" Eggman yelled at his robots, both excited and anxious.

The robots charged at the Fighters, rounding them up in a minimising circle. They backed into one another, looking toward one another briefly before turning back to the enemy.

"Where's Rose?" Shadow turned to Sonic.

Sonic scanned the group for his wife. She wasn't with them. Of course, gathering the team up like cattle would leave Eggman's target even more vulnerable. She was being targeted right now.

"Fire!" The Doctor jumped up from his seat and pointed down at Sonic and his team. On command, the flying Egg Hunters released four miniature generators onto the ground around them. Their landing triggered their activation, creating a force field around the team. "Success!" Eggman cheered. "With you insignificant bunch out of the way, I can finally have my Eggman Empire!" The man sat back in his chair and waved his hand towards the Death Eggs. "Alright you lot, out of the way. Time to have a little fun before the grand finale." He laughed maliciously.

His robot aides looked at one another with concern. "Aren't you going to simply erase Amy Rose from the timeline, Doctor?" Orbot questioned his boss.

"Of course I am! Just because I have a mission to do, doesn't mean I can't have fun whilst I'm doing it. I'm a villain after all."

His assistance exchanged looks of disapproval and concern but said nothing to Eggman's actions.

The Death Egg robots moved out of the way of the volcanic plane and allowed the team to see Amy outside of the force field. "No..." Sonic gasped. "No, no, no! Amy!" He pressed his hands against the force field. "Amy!"

The girl turned to them with a look of horror on her face. "Guys..." She breathed out, rushing over to the force field and slamming her fists against it. "Sonic!" She panicked, continuing to slam her fists on the barrier.

"Don't worry, I'm coming." He told her before spin dashing the barrier. His attack had no effect on the force field. "What?!"

Eggman's laughter could be heard from behind the girl. "Don't even think about escaping, Sonic. This force field is impenetrable! You have more chance of beating me than breaking that thing!" Sonic growled as a response and continued to spin dash the prison, unintentionally entertaining his nemesis. He looked to the pink hedgehog who had turned to face him with her back against the force field. "You'd better start running, Aurielle..." He grinned.

Taking the Doctor's advice, Amy ran upon hearing his order for the Swat Bots and Egg Fighters to capture her. The bots charged at her in all directions, leaping with mechanical arms stretched before them. Amy dodged the robots successfully, her acrobatic techniques proving to be advantageous in her escape.

Punching and kicking the shield violently, Sonic's panic became visible. His quills spiked from his anxiety, aiding him in his deadly spin dash. Like Eggman had told them moments ago, the force field remained impenetrable. "We gotta get out of here!" He yelled, his chest heaving to his wrath. He turned to Knuckles promptly. "Knuckles, dig us out!"

"There's lava beneath us!" The red male told the blue leader. "We're hardly gonna be much help if we're all charred up!"

With no argument to respond to that, Sonic turned to Shadow. "Then teleport us out!"

Shadow pulled out his chaos emerald, he noticed the energy within the jewel was whirling around anticlockwise, as if constricted. "This force field is effecting the power of the chaos emeralds."

"Oh come on!" Sonic growled, trying another spin dash. He punched the force field angrily in his failed attempt. "She can't die. We can't let that happen!"

"Wait Sonic." Tails said abruptly. The fox had been focusing on the miniature generators. "If Amy can smash the generators, the force field will deactivate."

"It'll be risky for her to run back here." Blaze pointed out.

"Even still, it's the only way we're gonna get outta here." Tails responded.

The team pounded on the force field and called out to the pink hedgehog. Amy, still being chased by Swat Bots and Egg Fighters, was unable to hear them.

Sliding beneath an Egg Fighter's legs, Amy ran back towards her friends. In such a dire time, she needed to be near them, no matter the situation. Lasers from the Death Eggs and Sentinels shot the ground around her, causing her to squeal in terror. Despite the attacks, she kept going, running and dodging the lasers and charging robots.

Eggman appeared in his Egg Mobile before the girl, stopping her from running any further. She tried to turn back but was met with the chest plate of a Swat Bot. The robot grabbed her arms and forced her to face the Doctor. "No! Let me go!" She struggled in it's grasp.

"Amy!" Sonic called out, his eyes widening in fear

"And here we have it, Ladies and Gents. The end of the beautiful love story of Sonic The Hedgehog and Amy Rose... Or should I call you Aurielle Paeonia?" He sniggered. "After all these years, who would have thought you were the only Vessel to survive that attack on Mercia. Even if you survived then, I cannot allow you to survive now. Don't take it personally. If you weren't the one stopping me from creating my Empire, I'd consider calling you my favourite amongst the pests." He aimed his cannon for the girl's heart. "Say goodbye to your precious Goddess, Sonic."

"Sonic!" Amy cried out to her lover, struggling desperately to break free.

"No!" Sonic roared, his heart pounding against his chest with anguish. This couldn't be it. This couldn't be the end of everything. His eyes focused on his wife's frightful expression, feeling helpless in his incarceration. Their eyes met, exchanging emotions of devastation and heartache. Her features soften slightly, a small, solemn smile forming on her lips before she mouthed the words; _I love you._ "Nooo!"

The laser shot out from the Egg Mobile and headed straight for the pink hedgehog. She grimaced as she braced herself for the impending attack. Failure washed over her in that moment. Her final moments with her lover were to be filled with regret. She had failed to save him. She had failed their promise.

Just as the laser was about to hit her, a metal arm deflected the laser away from her. Feeling the breeze from the robot coming to a harsh halt in front of her, Amy opened her eyes and gasped at the sight of Metal. He turned to her and swung a punch. The pink hedgehog flinched from the incoming fist but was quickly reassured when Metal's punch landed in the Swat Bot's face, releasing her from its clutches.

"No! I was so close!" Eggman whined, slamming his fist on his dashboard. Metal looked up at the Doctor, enraged by his intentions to kill his wife. He let out his rage by lunging at the man in the hovering chair and tackling him. Eggman shrieked, desperately trying to get the metallic blue hedgehog off of him. "Ah! Do something you two!" Eggman screamed at his assistants.

Orbot and Cubot stayed back from the wrestling. "Give an order to your robots, Sir."

"I'm a little busy here!" The Doctor cried. He looked to Metal Sonic and tried to reason with him. "Wait! Stop this! Let's be reasonable, Metal..." The blue robot stopped his actions and stared at the man. "We can talk about this! Remember, you and me, we can take over the world together!"

Metal remained deadly silent, staring with his scorching red eyes. Unexpectedly, the blue robot slammed his hand down on Eggman's wrist controller, subsequently deactivating the miniature generators. "No!" Eggman cried. "My force field!"

Now released from the force field, Sonic spin dashed his way towards Amy. Metal noticed the high speed hedgehog making his way to his wife and acted quickly to retrieve her. He flew back to Amy and pulled her into his arms. Nestling his wife in his arms, the blue robot flew up in the air, looking down at his fraudulent doppelganger.

"Amy!" Sonic clenched his fists in his annoyance and determination.

The goddess turned to the metal version of her husband, feeling a mixture of emotions towards him. A part of her knew who he was and was positively beaming to see him. On the other hand, she couldn't help but feel anxious. She couldn't forget years of fearing this robot. Plus, he was now declared insane. Who knew how he'd react towards her? After she had attacked him at her house and he had seen her with Sonic, who he believed was an imposter. With an unhinged killer machine who thought she had betrayed him, she had to be especially careful with how their reunion played out.

She looked back at Sonic a final time before letting Metal know who she had chosen. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she rested her head on his shoulder.

The robot flew off towards the mountains, leaving the remaining members of the team watching in awe and shock. "Damnit! We have to go get her." Sonic insisted.

"Not so fast, you little rodent! You're not going anywhere!" Eggman intervened. His hand slammed on his dashboard, hitting a button to grab the attention of all his robots. "Robots, attack!"

The robots turned to the Fighters and charged towards them. Sonic groaned with frustration and prepared for another round of fighting.

* * *

In a cavern, deeply wormed into the side of a mountain top, Amy sat against the cold, dank, wall. Her eyes remained fixated on the dampened walls around them, taking in every sleek rock and stone to distract herself from the piercing stares of Metal.

His eyes never left her. Even if he was making her eerily uncomfortable, he refused to look away. He had waited so long for this moment, so long just to be close with her again. Yet he was nerved. Years of rejection and repulse from the pink hedgehog left him too wounded to approach her in the more opportunist time. He knew she was scared of him. He could feel her fear radiating off of her. Could she not remember him at all?

Had she forgotten the promise?

Amy lifted her head, mentally persuading herself to face him. This was her husband. The aftermath of her death and the one whom truly suffered the most. Just imagining all those years he had spent all alone. How he must have been forced to deal with losing everything all on his own. That would be enough to drive anyone mad. He needed her right now. He needed her to be brave for him.

But how to approach this? Did he know that she knew who he was? Was his hesitation caused by him forgetting their reunion in Eggman's lair and the promise they made? Was he aware that she knew but was too concerned about her reaction?

Perhaps starting off clueless and working her way in would help her. "Sonic will be on his way soon." She said just loud enough for him to hear. "He'll come for me. He always does..."

Metal raised his head slightly before looking away. She couldn't tell if he was aggravated by what she had said or simply choosing to ignore her.

She looked back down at the ground, seeing a glimpse of her mud matted pink fur reflecting on the glossy stone. "I guess you can say he's always been there when I needed him. Whether he was saving me from Doctor Eggman, brushing me off whenever I was pestering him for a date... Or even when he was lurking around in the shadows, hoping that one day, I'd notice him as my husband." She looked back at him, only to see him staring back at her.

Amy jumped up onto her feet and slowly walked towards him. "That's just our thing isn't it? You and me, traveling through time and space, giving each other little signals and messages that lead us to this moment." She stood in front of her metallic husband and lightly touched his metal cheeks. "I know who you are, my Darling Sonic."

Metal lowered his head and raised his hand to cover hers against his cheek. A sense of relief and redemption washing over him. After long last. Ten years of waiting, of pain and dimming hope, she finally remembered. She knew who he was. He raised his head to finally meet her eyes. They were filled with fresh tears. A possible mix of happiness and lamentation. She embraced him, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. At first he was taken back by the sudden affection but soon found himself wrapping his arms around her waist.

"You've waited so long for me." She squeaked, pulling away from him slightly to look at him. "And here I thought, after all those years of chasing you, you never felt anything for me." She exhaled a mild chuckle. "You really were a hopeless romantic." She giggled softly, swallowing back her sobs and bringing both her hands to his face. "I can still save you. To do that, I need to get back to that Sonic."

A metallic clang came from the robot. The loud sound echoed his outrage throughout the dark cavern. Amy flinched, quickly stepping away from her lover. She kept her wit and slowly approached him once more. "I know. I know..." She said slowly. "To you, he is the enemy. He is the fraud and you are the real Sonic. But you have to believe me, if I can save him, I can save you!"

Metal rose from his position and levitated off the ground. Her betrayal had bruised him enough. For years, he had sat by and watched her fall for this man. Witnessed the ultimate betrayal of catching him in the bed he had once shared with her. No more could he face the traitorous nature she had developed.

His hand grasped her neck before he could reason with his own logic, slamming her hard against the cave walls and choking her to near senseless. Her hands gripped onto his as she tried to pry him off. "S-Sonic..." She wheezed. "Please..."

He gripped tighter, wanting her to feel all the pain he had felt in all the years he had waited for her. After everything, she had the nerve to trust him? That fake hedgehog?

"So-nic." Her eyes rolled back.

Metal released her abruptly, stepping back from the fallen female as she gasped for air. She gripped her neck and rubbed the burning area. "I deserve that..." She spoke with a coarse voice. Amy swallowed harshly, feeling the burn running down her throat. "After all, I've betrayed you, with him." She coughed harshly and wheezed. "You must have spent years watching me with him. Rubbing my love for him in your face... Yet, you didn't give up on me, did you? Even after everything, you're here for me."

The blue robot looked down, listening to what she had to say. She understood him. She truly did.

He felt relieved once more.

"You still loved me. Through all of it. I know you don't trust that Sonic but I know you still have hope in me." She slowly got back up to her feet, her legs wobbling from the pressure. "I'm not asking you to trust him. I'm asking you to trust me, to trust him. That's the only way I can save you, Sonic. Please. Remember our promise."

Breaking his deathly gaze, Metal slowly nodded back at her. He took her hands in his and rested his chilling forehead against hers, savouring the moment before he pulled away from her and began to walk backwards, away from her.

"Sonic?" Amy tilted her head in confusion. He was walking towards the entrance of the cave. Intrigued, she followed him and stood by his side as he looked at the view of the ocean and surrounding mountains. Without warning, the blue metal robot flew up into the sky. "Sonic?!"

To her horror, her metallic husband self destructed above her, the remains of his body falling back onto the extended ledge of the mountain cave entrance. "Sonic!" She screamed, her raspy voice breaking from her sore throat.

Amy rushed to Metal's remains, grabbing his head and looking down at him. She panted heavily, holding back the urge to puke as the dull, green right eye of her husband stared back at her lifelessly through the broken helmet. "No." She swallowed hard. "No... Sonic... No." She cried, resting her forehead against his broken helmet. The goddess sobbed against him, her heart clenching in agony. Unable to contain her anguish, the pink hedgehog screamed up to the sky, clinging onto her deceased robotic husband in her arms.

Black clouds began to form in the sky above her as the sky itself changed from a natural blue to a bloody red. The clouds swirled abnormally fast above her and darkened the landscape.

Sonic looked up at the sky, shocked by the sudden change in weather. "What's going on?"

"It's just as her Imperial Majesty foretold. The sky will be painted red, desolation will cover the ground and mountains will crumble at the glory. This is the true war..." Cryptic said in awe, looking up at the ruby sky.

"True war?!" Rouge gasped. "We've been battling non stop! You're telling us it's only truly started?"

"We'll give it all we've got!" Sonic said with a mix of determination and stern. The sounds of distant cries faintly brushed his ears. Turning to the mountains, below the swirling clouds, he had a hunch that his missing wife was located beneath the sky and was responsible for the change. "Shadow!" The black hedgehog turned to the blue leader. "Get us up there!"

"Hold on, what about the rest of us?!" Rouge frowned at the leader.

"Silver. Deal with it." Sonic demanded callously and vanished alongside Shadow as they teleported to Amy's location.

"Hmph! So much for being a team..." The bat crossed her arms grudgingly.

"Come on! We gotta follow them." Silver insisted. He pulled out his chaos emerald and opened the portal to Amy. "Chaos control!"

The Fighters rushed into the portal, leaving Eggman and his creations on the battlefield. "Hm?! Where are they going?"

"Amy Rose appears to be on the nearby mountains, Sir. It is to be believed that this sudden change in sky could be her doing." Orbot informed the boss.

His thumb brushed over the button on the remote once more, making him sneer. "Time to bring in the reinforcements." He laughed menacingly as he clicked the button and raced off towards the mountains.

* * *

Rushing out of the portal, Sonic's eyes darted towards his wife. "Amy!" He cried out in relief and dashed to her.

Amy looked back at her husband, also relieved yet surprised by the surrealism she was seeing. She was mourning her deceased lover but was also beside the living version of him. She allowed him to pull her into a hug but was in too much shock to hug him back. "S-Sonic..." She gasped.

Hearing the shock in her voice, the blue hedgehog pulled away to look at her. Her eyes appeared to dilated and glazed, her skin pale beneath the blood and dirt. Confused, he turned to the broken scraps that remained of Metal. Dread suddenly hitting him hard in his chest as he witnessed the cause of her disturbance. His own dead eye stared back at him, lacking light and depth. His breathing became rash from the sight. It was too hard to swallow.

"Sonic, don't look." Amy cried, placing her hands on his face and forcing him to look at her. "That won't be your fate, I swear. I promised you both that I'd save you and I intend to keep that promise."

Her husband nodded back at her slowly, finding himself incapable of speaking. He forced himself to look straight at her and not on his potential self with great concentration.

"Rose!" Shadow raced to Amy side. "Are you okay?" His eyes instantly fell to her neck as she turned away from Sonic to look at him. "What did he do to you?" He asked, referring to Metal Sonic.

"I'm okay." She squeaked, her voice still damaged from the strangulation and screaming. "Where are the others?"

"They'll be here soon. We need to get off this mountain before Eggman-"

"Oh, ho, ho! You didn't think you could run away from the battle did you?" Eggman taunted the hedgehogs. "Now we begin the final showdown!" The Doctor laughed "Get ready for the final round!" The man laughed back in his chair as his robots from the battlefield flew to their location. The remaining five hundred and fifty four suddenly had a boost of an extra four hundred and seventy. The fallen robots on the battlefield below suddenly became meaningless as Eggman replaced of them with more Egg Fighters, Egg Gunners and Sentinels.

"You've got to be kidding..." Sonic gasped.

"You better believe it, hedgehog! You may have bested the robots created in my new fortress but you can't best the robots from the old fortress too!" Eggman said proudly.

A portal appeared behind the three hedgehogs. The rest of the team walked out of the portal and froze upon seeing the sight of all the robots. "Oh no..." Tails breathed out.

"Cheese." Cream held the unconscious Chao close, fearing his survival as the battle presumed.

"Get ready for your end, Pinkie." Eggman declared. "Robots, attack!"

* * *

Clinging to the sheets beneath her, the Empress panted heavily through the near ending of the first baby's birth. The birth had run smoothly, much to her relief. With the distant sounds of the fight outside the temple, she was grateful to bear her children without any inconveniences.

"Okay, your Imperial Majesty. Just a few more pushes and the first one will be with us." One of the midwives informed her.

Amy nodded, focusing her energy on delivering like her husband had demanded. Her energy was near spent already. After using her power to assist in battle and having endured nine hours of labour, she was exhausted.

But that was her intentions.

"Push, push, push. That's it." The midwife encouraged her.

Her body shook from her intense pushing that her body commanded. Grunts escaped her lips unintentionally through her power filled ejection. She held back her screams, wanting to appear composed enough for the midwives. For now.

"The head is out, your Imperial Majesty. Just one more push."

Grunting and panting, Amy gritted her teeth as she the last contraction ejected the first newborn. Her head fell back on the pillow behind her. Finally, he was here.

The newborn was immediately placed on her chest and cleaned by the midwives. A midnight blue hedgehog with three stubbed quills aligned down his head and wild, unkempt bangs covering his eyes. His skin was currently pink, promising to change to a tanned hue, like his father.

"Baby A." Amy panted frequently. Once the baby was detached from her, she scooped the little hedgehog in her arms and held him close. "Hello, you. I'm your mummy. Can you remember my voice?" She cooed to the baby boy. "Everybody's gonna be so excited to finally meet you. Especially your daddy. He hasn't shut up about you and your brother for months. He can see you both when your little brother is here, okay?" She winced, feeling her contractions starting up again.

"Placenta is out, your Imperial Majesty. Be ready for the next one."

The Empress nodded back at the midwife and allowed another midwife to take the newborn. "See you soon, Baby A." She practiced her breathing in preparation for the next baby. As much as she wanted to have a smooth delivery for this baby, like the first, she knew that couldn't be the case for what needed to be done.

_Don't you worry, Valour. You will not come to harm. I just hope Sonic will forgive me for what I'm about to do..._


	13. Awaken Part One

Chapter Thirteen: Awaken Part One

_Nestled down in the comfort of Sonic's bed, the pink hedgehog sighed softly as she cuddled with her husband, resting her head against his chest and lifting her right hand to caress the side of his face. Her gloveless fingers played with his blue fur, enjoying the softness that tickled her lightly._

Sonic _smiled contently whilst he lead back and enjoyed the sweet caresses he was receiving from his lover. His arms held her beneath the blanket, securing her in their tender embrace. Though they were supposed to be sleeping and gaining energy for the upcoming war at dawn, the_ _couple found sleep was too difficult to aspire for. So they decided to spend their last couple of hours just relaxing together, in each other's arms._

_"You know, we should do this more often." Sonic said, breaking the silence._

_Amy giggled and playfully huffed at him. "Typical. I've been telling you_ _the same thing for years and only now, right before the end, you agree that this feels good."_

_"The **potential** end. Don't throw all your hope away, Ames. We have a team to motivate."_

_"Sorry." Amy looked down with uncertainty. Even though Sonic had convinced her that he believed in her and their victory over Doctor Eggman, she just couldn't help but carry the weight of the world. She had to be prepared for this awakening and_ _importantly, survive to ensure Sonic also survived. While she was well aware everyone had the same goal of survival, for her life as much as their own, they didn't have a whole timeline hanging on their shoulders._

_He noticed how she looked down. It was completely obvious and understandable for her to lack confidence; given they were merely hours away from knowing their fates. It was a lot to take in. Heck, it took him a few weeks to get his head around everything. He was certain about one thing though. In the mix of all this nonsensical fate of theirs, he found love. With that love was guaranteed a future surrounded by those he cared about,_ _new additions to care for and a new beginning for all of them._

_Yes. This future was what he strived for. To be forever by her side and to live in a world that was safe from Doctor Eggman and his schemes. The strive for that future set him clear goals and the love he held for the Goddess of Chaos was his motivation._

_"Hey." He spoke softly to his wife. "We'll get through this." His right hand gently caressed her hip. "I'm not saying it'll be easy, but we'll win. We always do."_ _Her eyes looked back at him, still showing her uncertainty. He pulled her closer and kissed the side of her head. She needed more reassurance. "Picture this. Once we defeat Eggman, we'll spend a whole day in bed, doing this. Just to recuperate. Then, we'll go on big trip all around the world! Running across every zone and having all kinds of adventures."_

_"Go on..." Amy coaxed him, turning onto her side and bringing the hand against his face, to his chest. "Then what happens?"_

_Sonic moved his arms to her back and tenderly massaged her. "Well... I guess we have to be the Emperor and Empress. However that happens..."_

_"I doubt all the countries are gonna submit to us taking over willingly... We may actually have to fight them." Amy said slowly, completely flummoxed by the possibility._

_"Hey, you're right. Huh, guess we'll have a lot of work to do." The blue blur shrugged. "Still, guess it's gotta be done if we're gonna be running the place." He moved his hand up to her arm and started to caress her once more. "And when we got the_ place _under our command, **that's**_ _when we'll have our big wedding._ _You know, make it official."_

_The pink hedgehog smiled, blushing cheeks burning her face. "I'll actually be your wife..." Her eyes gradually filled with tears. "I'll be married to Sonic The Hedgehog."_

_"Aw Ames, don't cry. Marrying won't be so bad. You could do a lot worse." He jested, chuckling lightly._

_Amy exhaled a soft giggle. "It's not a bad thing at all. It's always been my dream. To be your wife, the mother of your children. Being a Vessel and a Goddess means nothing compared to being yours." She looked deep into his eyes, witnessing his eyes soften to her gaze. "My true purpose is to be yours."_

_He smiled back at her. His heart warmed by her sentiment._ _Yep, it was still something. Having a Goddess... Or rather, a Demigoddess; declaring her love for him to be greater than who she was. He guessed that was the Amy he had always known. One of the first things he learnt about her when they first met; her name, and her love for him._

_Moved by her words, her husband moved his hand into her quills and pulled her close before planting a sweet kiss on her lips._ _His heart fluttered to the rush of oxytocin giving him a brief high. He brought both of his hands to play with her untidy quills_ , _gingerly gripping onto bunches of her hair and running his fingers through it all._

_Amy sighed into the kiss as she rested her exposed chest against his. Her hands sensually roaming his abdomen and trailing up his sides. Her senses began to fade and soon found herself lost in the moment and absorbed in all of him._

_Her husband pulled away, looking into her eyes. "Such a sap." He teased her, hitting her off with a pillow._

_Amy covered her face with her arm, trying not to be too loud with her laughter. "You're such a jerk." She retaliated, grabbing the pillow and hitting him back. "I tell you how much I love you and you hit me with a pillow? Honestly, what on Mobius do I see in you?"_

_"Clearly, you see my dashing good looks." He smirked._

_"Or that oversized ego of yours."_

_"Self appreciation does not mean I have an oversized ego."_

_Amy scoffed. "Right. Is that what you tell yourself when you're talking to your reflection in the bathroom mirror?"_

_The blue hedgehog blushed. He wasn't aware he had been watched when he was having a conversation with himself. "Whatever is said between myself and I is between myself and I."_

_Amy nodded back at him, amused by his embarrassment. "Hmm. It seems there will be three of us in this marriage. You, me, and of course, your ego."_

_"Yep. Try not to get too jealous. There's enough of me to go round."_ _His wife rolled her eyes_ _and chuckled quietly along with him. "But jokes aside." He paused to pull her back onto his chest and soothed her head onto his shoulder once again by stroking her quills. "I'm actually pretty psyched for the future. You, me, the septet of children we'll have..."_

_"You really want this, don't you?" She asked rather rhetorically. It was deeply touching to hear the man who had denied her for years talk so fondly about being her husband and the father to their unborn children._

_But there was no place for naivety. As much as Sonic and herself wanted this future to be, they had to acknowledge the odds of that future coming to be and the chances of surviving._

_Amy sighed and looked back at her husband. "Sonic... If Eggman manages to succeed in erasing me from the timeline-"_

_"That won't happen." Sonic spoke quickly, cutting her off in the process. "I'll make sure that won't happen."_

_She couldn't help but smile at his determination. Yet, she had to reject his denial and make him see the possibilities. "But if it does happen, I need you to remember two things. When you don't have the brawn to go on, look to logic and genetics don't lie."_

_"...What?"_

_"Just remember that, okay?"_

_He blinked at her, not entirely sure he understood the two statements she had given him. Nonetheless, she had a point. They had to acknowledge the possibility of losing and if this information was important to remember in dark times, he'd keep it in mind._

_"Okay."_

* * *

Slowly rising from the rocky ground, Sonic winced from hearing the intense ringing in his ears. The tinnitus momentarily masked the severe stinging sensation coming from the side of his head. What happened? How'd he end up so injured?

His hand moved to the injury instinctively and checked the damage. Blood had soaked into the dirt covered fabric of his gloves. The amount of damage was becoming clear as he felt his blood slowly dripping down his face after sitting up. His upward position caused his head to spin. Just what had happened?

"Sonic!" Tails's voice echoed through the ringing. The fox appeared in front of the blue hedgehog and lifted his visor. "You need to get up!" He demanded, aiding his best friend onto his feet.

His vision remained compromised from the hit to the head. Blurred and lightly spinning. "What happened? Where's Amy?"

**BOOM!**

Crashing sounds of the colliding boulders hitting the mountain tops startled the duo. The rumbling that followed the collision forced them onto their knees. Desperate to get out of the cross fire, Tails quickly staggered to his feet and dragged Sonic up.

"Eggman ordered the Death Eggs to start throwing boulders and rocks onto the battlefield. We were hit." Tails explained as he guided the leader back to the team.

"Everyone got hit?" Sonic asked, stunned by the revelation.

Tails looked back at him with his unmasked concern across his face. "Some worse off than others."

Sonic's state of vertigo began to subside as they made their way towards the team. The condition of his allies horrified him, stopping him dead in his tracks. Cream lay beside her Chao friend, Cheese. From what he could see, she was unconscious; knocked out by a falling rock to her face. Dried blood covered one side of her face, taking the attention away from her swollen eye that had suffered from the debris.

Beside the rabbit and chao sat the bat. While she was still conscious, she had taken great damage to her left wing. It drooped in her effort to stretch it out. Her pain was visible and vocal. The small grunts that came from her as she tried to move her wing made that very clear.

Sonic's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach upon seeing his beloved wife among the injured. An open wound up her left leg prevented her from running. It appeared to be a gash, deeply red from the drying blood around it. This wasn't good. Even if her leg was the only part of her body that took the brunt of the assault, not being able to run left her prone to attacks.

"Amy." Sonic crouched beside her. His wife looked to him and expressed her woe by touching his cheek and letting out a sorrowful whimper.

"I'm sorry. I should've listened to you but I just saw her and-"

Ah. Now he was beginning to remember what had happened. After witnessing Cream being knocked off her feet by the falling debris of rocks, Amy had leapt out of his arms and darted across the mountain plane and pulled the girl securely against her. Seeing this as the perfect opportunity to get to Amy, the Doctor ordered his robots to aim directly for the pink hedgehog, resulting in everybody rushing to Amy's aid and getting caught in the cross fire.

Other than Cream, Cheese, Rouge and Amy herself, the remaining fighters were still intact. Albeit riddled in cuts and potential bruises soon to make an appearance but held just enough energy to keep up the fight.

"Hey." He stopped her in her remorseful ramblings and soothed her with a brief hug. "Don't worry about it."

"Cream and Cheese are badly hurt. And Rouge?" She looked to the bat in question before looking away in shame. "I'm sorry." She whispered softly.

"Don't focus on what's happened. We gotta keep going. The sooner we beat that Egg, the sooner we can get them the help they need."

Of course he was right. The more she thought about her actions and lack of ability, the more she was allowing the chances of losing to grow.

But inorder to win, she had to lose...

Right?

Her husband carefully picked her up and dashed over to the injured teammates. He placed her back on the ground gingerly and quickly placed a kiss on her forehead for reassurance. "Stay here. We got this."

"But your head-"

"Silver, force field." Sonic cut her off and gave an order to the silver hedgehog before dashing off into the battle. Silver nodded and used his powers to create a force field around the fallen four.

Before the force field could cover them, Rouge quickly moved away. She got up from the ground and dusted herself off. "I may not be able to fly but I can still show these clowns not to mess with me."

"Rouge, don't you think you should rest after that fall?" Silver suggested.

The bat placed her hands on her hips and gave the hedgehog a suggestive look. "Are you going to force me down, Silver?"

Silver blushed, uncertain how to handle her flirtatious banter. "N-no..."

"Pity. That would have been quite fun, don't you agree?" She winked at him. Seeing him become flustered caused her to giggle before she rushed off into the fight.

"Silver." Blaze said sternly, grabbing the boy's attention. He jumped to see her not too far away from him, raising her eyebrow at him with displeasure. "Focus."

"Sorry..." He cleared his throat and focused on completing the force field. Once completed, he followed Blaze onto the battlefield, leaving Amy and Cream safely out of reach.

Sighing hopelessly, the Demigoddess looked over to her unconscious friends and carefully brushed Cream's hair back in place. Her sights gazed to the young girl's eye. Likely to be forever damaged. She didn't deserve this. Not when she was so young.

"Don't worry Cream. I'll keep you safe." She turned her gaze to the ongoing onslaught outside the force field. "I'll keep all of you safe."

* * *

"You insufferable rat!" Eggman howled at the Emperor, riled by the pile of robots across the ground. The scene didn't look too different from the battle for the Goddess twelve years prior. His fleet was fading faster than his dreams of domination.

And this Sonic? The twelve years had really allowed him room for development. He was stronger. Irritably stronger with an extra sprinkling of cunning to really ruffle the Doctor's temper.

This was meant to be his glorious return to power. To take over the City of Anchora and have a second chance at his Eggman Empire. But the way the battle was going, he was likely to never see that happening.

Perhaps he was being rather pessimistic. He still had his Death Egg Sentinels. Twelve out of the twenty he had rallied into battle with. Blast that Demigoddess and her powers. Had it not been for her meddling, he wouldn't be calculating his chances of winning.

Sonic tutted, stomping on the head of another defeated Egg Gunner. "Gee, Egghead. It's been how many years and you still can't see I'm a hedgehog?"

"It's Eggman! Not only are you a hedgehog but you're also a hypocrite!"

"Ohhh, it's Eggman? I've been calling you Egghead to the kids for years. What an unfortunate misunderstanding."

Ugh. It was bad enough that he was still a mortal and not his trusty robot sidekick. Now he had children too? Miniature Sonics? "What happened to you, blue boy? The infamous Sonic The Hedgehog, settled down with kids?"

Sonic grinned up at the man. "Yeah. Tends to happen when you find someone who loves you. You know how it is... Oh, I forgot. You wouldn't know, what with you building machines to love you."

Those words cut through him like a knife. "Yeah?! Well I'll tell you one thing that's great about having a legion of robots." Sonic waited for the Doctor's deliverance with a cocky smile across his face. "They last forever!"

The Emperor shrugged. "Eh, I guess you got me there, Doc." He pretended to be pondering as he rubbed his chin. "Although, there's one thing you haven't thought of with that theory."

"And what's that?" Eggman asked scornfully.

Sonic's ears perked up to the sound of incoming air traffic. He chuckled quietly to himself before finishing his sentence. "Your robots never last!"

Twenty black jets flew over the Emperor's head in a 'V' formation and dispersed in half; with ten flanking left and the other ten heading right. The ten jets on the left began to fire bullets at the remaining Egg Gunners, sweeping in with heavy artillery and quickly retreating to avoid the retaliation from the Gunners.

The other ten jets carried missiles attached to the jet's exterior hardpoints. Like the jets carrying firearm ammunition, the aircrafts swooped down towards the eye of the Sentinels and fired missiles directly into their weak spots before flanking out of range.

"No!" Eggman shrieked, looking to his destroyed robots. He looked down at his screen. His twelve Sentinels had been reduced to eight. Disgruntled by this, the Doctor slumped back into his chair. Yes, he was right to be concerned over his chances. In his excitement of being released earlier out of confinement, he hadn't even anticipated the strength of his enemies.

There were still eight Sentinels and seventy two Egg Gunners. Still a very small chance of victory.

"Grr, I haven't finished yet!" Eggman roared at the blue hedgehog.

Sonic chuckled. "Pretty snazzy, Tails." He praised his friend through their chaos interface.

"Thanks, I try." The fox sat back in his chair and gloated in his successful airstrike. "Good to see my not-needed inventions being put to good use."

The blue leader rolled his eyes and smiled. "Alright, alright. Rub it in later. We still got more mechs to destroy."

"I'm so gonna rub it in later..." Tails spoke under his breath before sitting back up in his chair and began to plot another airstrike. "Tornado Force heading south west of Anchora, ready for phase two."

"Roger that." Sonic responded, lowering the chaos emerald in his hand and looking back at the Doctor with a cocky smile on his face. "Hey, Egghead. Wanna see something explosive?" He laughed and dashed off towards the location of Knuckles and Rouge; in the south west region.

Alarmed by the question, Eggman quickly grabbed hold of his controls and rushed off after the blue hedgehog. "Get back here, hedgehog!"

* * *

From the security of the force field, the Demigoddess watched her lover and their friends battle the hoard of mechs. They were giving their all, just as she expected. But with the day slowly fading to night, the duration of the battle was beginning to show in their efforts.

They were suffering from exhaustion and judging by the amount of robots Eggman had at his disposal, this battle was far from over and very soon, they would run out of energy and will to go on.

She knew she had to do something. As an ally, she couldn't just sit back and watch them fight to death. More importantly, as a Goddess, she couldn't allow them to exhaust themselves to death while she sat back on the side lines.

Shuffling across the ground, Amy moved to the front of the barrier and pressed her hand against it. As much as she wanted to help, she couldn't do much when she was imprisoned and injured.

There was only one way to win this and that one solution involved a sacrifice.

She was willing. Dubious yet willing. The results of the sacrifice were still undetermined and full of mystery. And yet, it was clear that without it, they'd never leave the battle alive.

The pink girl pulled herself along, back to Cream and Cheese. Her fingers gently brushed the girl's hair once more, silently giving comfort to her in her vulnerable condition. She moved away from her and clasped her hands together tightly, squeezing her eyes shut intensely in her concentration. "Chaos. I give myself to you; as a Vessel to your power. I know of the offering and I surrender willingly. Just please. Let me save my friends."

A charge filled her from within. An indescribable surge that gave her a rush she had never experienced before. Her fur; standing on end and dancing gently in response to the chaos energy radiating from her, began to change from her usual rose petal hue, to a pale pink; just shy of white. Her quills flowed outward, waving up and down gingerly. The power built up within her gradually until she successfully controlled her abilities and opened her now ruby red eyes.

In the midst of battle, Sonic spin dashed into an Egg Fighter, sending the robot off the mountain side. Another Egg Fighter came his way, holding out it's gun and firing at the blue blur. The hedgehog disappeared from it's sights and reappeared behind it, spin dashing the robot to the ground and smashing it to pieces. Speeding away from the scraps of metal, Sonic wiped his brow and prepared for oncoming Egg Gunners.

"Sonic! Get down!" Knuckles called out to the leader, grabbing his shoulder and dropping to the ground with him.

Amy's hammer flew over their heads and charged straight for the force field. Alarmed, Sonic jumped to his feet. "What?!"

The force field dispersed, forcibly knocking down nearby Egg Gunners and Fighters. Flabbergasted, Sonic gawped at the scene of his wife rising to her feet and grabbing the hammer in her hand. She looked towards the knocked down robots and charged at them at superspeed, destroying all in her line of sight.

"Damn..." Sonic muttered in disbelief.

"That's Amy, right? I'm not the only one seeing Amy in super form, destroying those mechs, am I?" Knuckles stared dumbfounded.

"Nope..." The hedgehog beside him answered, just as shocked as the echidna was. His gaze followed the female in super form, watching as she made her way from one robot, to the next; smashing and desolating with ease. He had to admit, he was both impressed and most definitely captivated by this spectacle. Seeing his lover in this new super form of hers and watching her ace her way through the enemy like they were nothing was strangely enticing.

"What?! It can't be!" Eggman bellowed. "She couldn't have awoken her powers now! I had the upper hand!"

"Look at her go!" Cubot cheered, impressed by the Demigoddess' prowess. The Doctor growled at the robot, causing him to immediately retract his previous words. "I mean, oh no, this is terrible."

The man grumbled in his chair. "Guess it's best we leave this place now before she turns us into scraps too."

"You're giving up, Doctor?" Orbot asked.

"What more is there to do? With Amy awakening her powers, this is all over."

"But your future self mentioned his own personal assault on the Goddess of Chaos. Perhaps you should stick to what's already been told and work from there?" The intelligent one out of the two assistants suggested.

That was true. If he missed out that little detail in time, he could possibly change his future for the worse. If he were to try and best that pink hedgehog, he could still potentially have his empire. He smiled to himself and continued to watch the destruction of his creations.

Fueled by the chaos flowing in her veins, the Goddess smacked and slammed her way through the charging hoards of robots. Dozens of Egg Gunners and Fighters were sent flying through the air and landing in pieces on the rocky ground. She held up her hand, using chaos to pull the robots towards her and then proceeding to destroy them with her hammer. Noticing her teammates close by, she hovered over to them and placed herself back onto the floor.

"Loving the new look, Pink." Rouge complimented the Demigoddess. "Though next time, you might wanna go for something more... Regal to wear. That summer dress is doing nothing for this super form."

"I'll keep that in mind..." Amy smiled hopelessly towards the bat, not too surprised to hear her dismissal to the bigger picture.

Sonic stepped forward, his face full of pride. "Told ya you could do it!" He praised her. "So this is what your super form looks like. Suits ya."

His wife blushed and looked down at the ground sheepishly, smiling at his approval. "You guys can leave this to me." She said, looking back up at the leader.

"What? And miss out on all the fun? No way! We're in this together, power ups or not." The blue hedgehog gave her his signature grin, unintentionally causing her to blush even more.

"All of you want to fight?" She asked, earning confident nods in return. Humbled by their dedication, Amy smiled with gratitude. "Thank you."

They turned their attention back onto the fleet of robots on the opposite side of the mountain ledge. Their enemy was staring right back at them, creeping forward ever so slightly. Amy looked back over her shoulder at her team, looking for any hesitation. They were looking right back at her, expecting her to take lead.

Now she found herself hesitating. This was her first time leading a fight. This surreal reality that was her new future. She was now a leader, the highest authority amongst her subjects.

Eugh. It was already pretentious calling them her subjects.

"Need some help?" Sonic stood beside her and smirked.

"Please..." She breathed out a shaky breath.

Sonic nodded and gave her hand a gentle squeeze before looking back on the enemy and bellowing out a battle cry. The team rushed back into battle, leaving Amy mesmerised on the spot. Leadership came so easily to her husband. Perhaps that was how they balanced one another. Whenever she found herself in doubt, he was right beside her to bring out her true potential.

"Yo, Ames. Battle's over here!" Sonic called out to her, waking her out of her loving gaze. Amy shook her head and sped onto the battlefield. Sonic lined up next to her and smirked at her. "Now's really not the time to be getting distracted by my looks, Amy."

She frowned at him. "Don't make me question what I see in you again."

"Good idea. We'd be here for ages if that happens." He winked at her. His attention shortly turned to the Egg Hunters heading their way. "You gonna show me what you can do in this form?" He grinned at her.

Amy looked up at the Egg Hunters and then to the Egg Gunners marching towards Blaze and Rouge. She giggled at the thought that came to mind and came to a harsh halt. Lifting her hand to the sky, she opened a portal ahead of the Egg Hunters and watched as they flew straight into it. She held out her other hand and created the next portal to the left of the marching robots. The Egg Hunters flew straight into the Egg Gunners and exploded.

"Whoa..." The blue hedgehog said, stunned by the amount of robots easily brought to nothing.

Amy turned back to her husband and giggled at his astonishment. "Sonic, now's not the time to be distracted." She repeated his words back to him.

He chuckled softly and hopelessly shook his head. "Touché."

On the other side of the mountain ledge, Tails and Cryptic used their exo suits in combat against the Swat Bots. The fox fought off the mechanical enemies with the blades, slicing through the chest plates of his foes. The advisor; growing more accustomed to the suit, acquired the cannons on his shoulders and fired at the incoming bots.

His blade slashed off the Swat Bot's head from it's body and caused the bot to drop to the ground. Tails moved onto the next foe, slicing through it's arms and knocking it onto the ground. He activated the cannon on his shoulder and fired a laser into the robot, blowing the bot up.

Cryptic hastily bent backwards and squealed in his desperation to avoid the Swat Bot's attacks. With their mechanical arms stretched out ahead and ready to grab him, the badger activated his own blades in the plating of his forearms and severed through the stretched out arms.

"Keep it up, Cryptic-"

An Egg Hunter swooped in from above the males and grabbed onto his twin tails. Tails yelped as he was lifted off the ground and carried into the sky. He pulled himself up and saw the tight grip the Hunter had on his tails. Squinting his eyes in his concentration, the fox activated the claws and ripped through the appendages confining him, successfully breaking free. Seeing his escape, the Hunter released it's pod units and fired at his weak spots, sending the boy crashing down to the ground.

"Tails!" Sonic called out from the battlefield, witnessing his best friend falling from afar. He was about to dash over and grab him when Amy stepped forward and opened up a portal beneath the fox. His beloved plane, the X-Tornado appeared out of the portal.

"Tails! Switch it on!" Amy shouted to the fox, referring to voice command on the X-Tornado.

Looking down at his falling plane, Tails quickly turned on the engine using voice command. "X-Tornado on! Auto pilot!" The engine sounded it's activation and remained station midair just long enough for Tails to land in the cockpit. "Good catch!" He spoke to the plane before taking back control of the controls. "Alright. Initiate battle mode!"

The plane transformed to battle mode as commanded, obtaining a turret machine beneath the plane and missiles on the hard point. "Hellfire missiles at the ready." He flew up towards the Sentinels and locked on target. "Fire!" A missile was released from the hard point and stabbed into the Sentinel's eye, exploding on contact.

"Get that fox!" Eggman ordered the Sentinels. The giant machines proceeded to fire plasma lasers at the pilot. Tails acted quickly and weaved between their fire, successfully dodging the attacks while distracting the robots.

Staring at the fox in his plane, Blaze shortly turned her gaze to the boulders that were now embedded into the the rocky ground. Her eyes darted between the bigs rocks and the Sentinels and then to her friend, Silver. "Silver." She got his attention. "Help me return their gifts." She pointed to the nearby boulder.

Silver looked to the boulder and then back at the girl, a smirk slowly growing on his face. He nodded and jogged over to her. Using his telekinesis, he picked up the boulder and brought it close to them. Blaze heated the giant rock, gradually melting the exterior with her intense flames. As the minerals began to liquefy, Silver hurled the molten rock at the Sentinels, aiming for their eyes.

"Wow, you two." Rouge sneered. "Talk about giving it hot and heavy."

The futuristic duo looked to the bat and blushed. "Stay focus, Rouge. You don't want another injury." Blaze reminded her.

"Meow." She giggled at Blaze as the cat glared at her. The bat turned back to her fight with the Egg Guardians. She raced towards them and jumped into the air, preparing her mighty kick. The Egg Guardian held out it's hands ready to grab her foot. Without her wings, she was unable to get away. She gasped.

Knuckles ran beneath her and made it to the robot before she could land her attack. He punched the Guardian directly into it's face, distracting it for Rouge to land her kick. She kicked the robot to the ground and slammed her foot into it's neck, disconnecting it's head. "My hero." She smiled flirtatiously to the echidna.

"Don't get used to it. I'm not babysitting you through this fight."

"Hmph. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." She pouted at him. In her annoyance towards the red male, she failed to notice the Egg Gunner holding it's gun out behind her.

"Rouge!" Knuckles gasped. He leapt forward and grabbed the girl, knocking her out of the way of the Gunner's bullets.

Sonic appeared in front of them and spin dashed the robot, smashing it to pieces. He looked back at the pair, seeing the echidna towering over the bat. "Knuckles, seriously. There's a time and place for that kind of thing." He smirked.

"Huh?" The echidna soon realised how their position looked and jumped off the jewel thief. "Ash! No, I wasn't-!"

"No need to be coy, Knuckie. It was only a matter of time before this happened." Rouge winked to the emerald guardian, causing him to blush deeply. Sonic laughed and dashed off.

"You're batty!" He screamed at her as she got up from the ground and ran off into battle, leaving the echidna flustered on the ground.

A gathering of ground level robots began to circle around the ultimate lifeform. The hedgehog stood in battle stance, remaining composed and nonchalant. Amy flew down behind him, covering his back.

"Those inhibitor rings look a little tight, Shadow." She said casually, looking over her shoulder with a smirk across her face.

He looked back at her, slowly lifting his arms and removing the rings from his wrists. They dropped to the floor with a light clang. His power began to charge, lighting up their surroundings with a mighty force shaking the ground. Shadow unleashed his power into a chaos blast. The seismic blast rumbled across the mountain ledge, destroying hundreds of robots in range.

"Get back!" Sonic ordered. He sped over to Cream and Cheese and carried them to safety.

The team stayed back and watched the destruction, cheering Shadow on from afar. The chaos blast slowly subsided, revealing the ultimate lifeform and pink hedgehog huddled together. Amy looked up at her brother and smiled. "Coolest. Power. Ever." She cheered for him. He rolled his eyes at her and gave her a small smile.

"Grr! Robots, get that girl!" Eggman demanded, pointing to Amy.

The remaining ground level rushed towards the girl. Amy made a quick getaway, teleporting out of sight and reappearing in the air.

"Distract 'em from Amy." Sonic commanded, rushing back towards Amy's last location and jumping back into the fight. The team followed and resumed the fight.

Eggman snickered and typed the demand for the Egg Hunters to distract the Demigoddess. The pink hedgehog turned invisible in response to their chase, leaving the flying robots confused and disoriented. "Blast that hedgehog. She's becoming as much of a nuisance as Sonic!"

Orbot scanned the area in infrared setting. He fleetingly spotted her heat signal in the sky. "She's approximately sixty five degree angled from our current position." He told his creator, pointing towards the invisible hedgehog.

The Doctor turned his Egg Mobile towards the pink hedgehog and readied his laser cannon. He aimed directly at her and fired a laser at her. The laser missed and skimmed her head, making her flinch and become visible once more.

"Aaaaaaahhh!"

That particular scream shook through Sonic's core and prevented him from moving. The same scream he and the team had been fighting for so long to prevent. His eyes darted towards the source of the scream. To his surprise, it had been from Cream. The rabbit was lead on the ground, holding up her upper body with her arms and staring up towards the sky with her good eye.

Sonic followed her gaze up towards the sky. He witnessed the doctor hastily slamming his hand down on the dashboard of the Egg Mobile and fire another laser towards his wife. "Aaaaammmmyyyy!" He screamed out in sheer panic.

The pink hedgehog span around toward the Doctor. In that moment, she started to realise what the sacrifice was. To give _herself_ to chaos involved literally giving herself to chaos.

It all happened so instantaneously. Before she could even think to move or teleport out of the way, the laser took a direct hit through her chest and into her heart.

"NOOO!" Sonic cried out in anguish.

Another laser was fired into her, knocking her back to the ground. Sonic ran forward and grabbed her before she could hit the cold floor. He slumped to the ground with her in his arms and mournfully watched as her super form faded. "Amy." He whispered sorrowfully and rested his head against hers.

Horrified by the sudden death of their friend, the team stared in shock and devastation. It was a harrowing, heart-rending sight. To see the limb, lifeless girl nestled in the arms of the agonised blue leader. The way he clinged to her dearly and tried with all his might to remain composed.

"Success!" Eggman cheered, waving his fist around. "With that pink hedgehog written out of the future, the Eggman Empire will be mine!" He laughed menacingly. "Come and face my robots now, Sonic! Avenge that sweetheart of yours!"

His friends watched helplessly at the blue hedgehog. The blue boy refused to move away from Amy, remaining in their embrace with his forehead against hers. Unable to hold back his tears, the teardrops dropped onto her cheeks. "Amy..." His voice broke in his despair. "I'm so sorry."

* * *

The strong contractions constricted her midsection like a vise, forcing her to pant heavily through each one. She whimpered and groaned with every single wave of pain, resisting the urge to push like the midwife had told her.

This labour was a little different compared to the first born of the two. Unlike all her previous children, this particular hoglet had advanced quills, growing to the same length as his entire body and just as deadly as a grown hedgehog.

She had known this ever since she saw the vision of her twins. Of course she had kept this information to herself. If Sonic had known about their son's advantageous quills, he would have argued with her for months to have a C-section. In any other circumstances, she would've but right up until discovering their fates were at risk, last minute changes were in order.

Her condition made this more difficult. Due to her awakening all those years ago, she had ascended from Demigoddess, to Goddess. Along with that ascension came immortality. By using her son's condition and a little harnessing here and there, she was hoping this would work.

Another contraction coursed through her and the urge to push became too great. "Alright, steady pushes, your Imperial Majesty. Gently now." The matron instructed.

Amy gripped onto the bedsheets and gave gentle pushes. Her pushes were deliberately lacking effort. While the medication-free labour was excruciating, she had to cause her dear child just enough distress for him to use his quills.

"A little harder if you can, your Imperial Majesty. I'm afraid nothing's happening."

"I'm... Trying..." She breathed out. Another contraction shortly followed, causing her to once again push her baby out. Her effort remained the same.

A midwife placed a doppler near her lower abdomen to read the baby's heart rate. The woman briskly took the doppler off and looked to the Empress with a concern expression. "I'm really sorry, your Imperial Majesty but you'll have to push harder. The baby starting to get distressed."

"Okay..." She nodded rapidly and panted. _Forgive me, Valour._

Her efforts increased ever so slightly but not enough to budge the baby. Upon feeling the results of her son's distress, she began to push harder.

"Ugn..." She gritted her teeth to the searing pain of her son's spiked quills tearing her from within. It wasn't enough. She needed more damage.

"Your Majesty..." The matron said cautiously. "Not too hard now-"

She did the opposite, pushing harder than she should have. Her grunts and groans gradually turned to screams as her sons sharp quills steadily began to surface, forcibly ripping her in the process.

"Good god!" The woman shrieked. "Get the forceps!" She screamed at the other midwives in the room. The midwives rushed to grab the medical supplies nearby but the Empress used her powers to knock the utensils to the floor.

In the final contraction, Amy beared through the agonising pain and threw all her efforts into her push. Hastily, the hoglet was ejected from his nine month stay. In doing so, he had torn through his mother and had consequently caused a postpartum haemorrhage.

Her son was taken from her immediately as the midwives and matron tried to manage her bleeding. "I need 0.8 milligrams of misoprostol and five milligrams of syntocinon now!" The matron ordered.

As the midwives rushed around her, Amy wasted no time in transferring the rest of her energy to her husband, using her harnessing technique to force Sonic into his hyper form.

"Quickly!" The matron bellowed to the other women as she witnessed the Empress losing more and more blood. "We can't lose the Empress!"

Feeling herself becoming dizzy and lightheaded, Amy fell back onto her pillow behind her head. "Chaos!" She called out before slipping into unconsciousness.

Elsewhere, outside of the city, Sonic looked down at his ultra vibrant fur flashing multiple colours. Hyper Sonic? How was this possible? He didn't possess enough chaos emeralds, let alone any super emeralds. What had caused this?

"What the..." He questioned aloud, completely perplexed by his sudden transformation.

That's when it dawned on him. If he didn't have any super emeralds to become Hyper Sonic, he had to have gotten the power from somewhere, or in this case, _someone_ else.

An indescribable feeling came over him. A feeling of dread shrouding him for reasons he couldn't explain. He turned towards the temple abruptly and stiffened as his blood ran cold. "AMY!"


	14. Awaken Part Two

Chapter Fourteen: Awaken Part Two

"Hey." A gentle whisper was carried a short distance; from his lips, to her ears. Loud enough for only her to hear. "Did you know we have children waiting for us, some time in the future? Waiting for us to come get them and tell them everything's gonna be okay?"

His words may as well had been inaudible. No matter what he said, fate had made it certain that she would not respond. Her lifeless, heavy body lay in his arms, forever to be motionless and personally out of reach.

Maybe it was delusional. Perhaps it was for his own comfort in his agonising heartache, but talking to her, even if she could not hear nor respond, gave him a little comfort. "We can't let them down. We're their parents after all. You and me, together. We'll save them together, won't we?"

A shaky breath was exhaled from his dry lips. He had lost everything. In her, he had lost his only companion, his children. A whole new world had been stripped away from him and a darker one was to take its place.

She wouldn't have wanted this. To see him brought to his knees, weeping over her loss and turning his back on the fight. But what was there to fight for? With her gone, none of this had meaning.

He had no meaning.

"I'm sorry." He cried, burying his face into her neck, taking in the rather surprising smell of strawberries that clinged to her fur in the midst of this perspiring battle. "I can't fight... I just can't..." It was like fate had described. That he would succumb to the pain of his lover's death and fall into a deep depression.

He felt it. He felt it hard. There was no way out of it now.

"Ho, ho, ho!" Eggman laughed manically, "That's it, hedgehog! Mourn while you can before your little girlfriend turns to fertiliser!"

"She's my wife..." Sonic mumbled in his despair, taking a moment to show his face from it's resting position against her neck.

"Huh?" Eggman leaned forward. "What did he say?" He turned to Orbot. "Orbot, enhance audio."

The little robot replayed Sonic's word in his memory and enhanced the volume of his voice. "He says Amy Rose was in fact his wife, not his girlfriend."

"Oh? Had a wedding without me, eh? Well don't worry, I'll make sure I'll have front row seats at her funeral!" The doctor cackled.

The Doctor's words pained him, causing a pang to his already broken heart. The pain in his heart resonated around his aching chest, making his breath cease in his throat. He clinged to his lover's body, desperate for her consoling touch once more.

"Sonic..." Tails spoke solemnly. It was agonisingly bemusing to see his heroic best friend in such a depressed, vulnerable state. Even with Eggman's taunts, the hedgehog remained on the ground, holding Amy's deceased body for dear life as he cried against her. It hurt. It hurt dearly to see his friend so broken.

"Still not going to fight, Sonic?" He waited for the hedgehog to respond. Sonic never responded. The blue leader remained with his head buried in his wife's neck. Eggman raised an eyebrow. He too had never seen his nemesis in such a state. Still, even with the blue pineapple wallowing in misery, he wasn't going to let that stop him from getting his Empire.

Aiming for the hedgehog couple, Eggman released another laser towards the hedgehog couple. "Sonic!" His friends called out to him, hoping he'd get out of harm's way on time. To their dismay, the blue hedgehog refused to budge.

Holding up his chaos emerald, Silver teleported to the couple before the laser could hit either of them. He created a force field around them and deflected the laser. "Sonic. You have to get up!" Silver insisted.

Sonic merely budged, too dolorous to move. "I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry." He whispered against her, squeezing his burning eyes shut as his tears overwhelmed him.

* * *

Alone she walked through the dark abyss. That particular realm, devoid of life she was becoming used to with every vision. Given her sudden death, she doubted she would ever experience another one of those visions again.

Her hands covered her mouth and held back her sobs as the fresh tears came gushing from her eyes. She had really died. Game over. Done.

That was it then? She tried to save her friends and lost her life in doing so. Was she to spend eternity wandering in the darkness, alone? Was Sonic now destined to become Metal Sonic and become Eggman's greatest weapon? And her friends- She dread to think of their futures. If only she hadn't sacrificed herself to Chaos, she would still be with them now.

If only she hadn't listened to her older self. The Empress, Aurielle.

She had done everything the Empress had told her. To tell Sonic to turn to logic, to trust genetics. She gave announced herself as a Vessel to Chaos and even after all of this, she still failed.

Failed her friends.

Failed her husband.

Ultimately failed the world.

Now that she thought about it, Aurielle had been awfully vague about the sacrifice. There was no mention of trading her life for power. Was that deliberate? Had she kept that a secret to ensure she would do it?

That didn't even make sense. If the sacrifice involved her own life, why would Aurielle want her to sacrifice that? There was no way she would give up on Sonic. The Empress loved him just as much as she did. Of course she did, they were one and the same. She wouldn't give up on him.

Would she?

"Full of confidence, I see." Aurielle appeared behind the pink hedgehog. Amy span around instantly and looked to the regal hedgehog in her burgundy battle dress. She gave a small, sincere smile to her younger self. "My condolences. That was quite a fight."

Amy's breath got caught in the back of her throat at the sight of the woman. A sense of relief to see the Empress washed over her but was soon replaced with the feeling of shame. "I failed you. I did everything you said but I still failed to save them." She cried and covered her face in her shame.

"Have you?" The Empress placed her hands on her hips. "Everything's going according to plan from what I can see."

Her ears flickered with uncertainty. Had she heard her correctly? The Demigoddess lifted her head out of her hands, blinking her tear filled eyes. "What plan?" She asked.

"The sacrifice hasn't been made yet."

Amy lowered her hands and stared in complete astonishment. "I mean I-" She stumbled on her words in her confusion. "I-I don't understand... I died out there."

"Well, there's no disputing that." Aurielle giggled. "You are so dead. Like one shot kill kinda dead." The older hedgehog noticed her younger self's lack of amusement. "Relax. You're a Vessel. Cheating death is apart of our DNA. Granted, if you know how to use it."

Amy rubbed her temples and sighed impatiently. "Please. Just tell me if you can get me back to Sonic."

Aurielle nodded. She looked around at their gloomy surroundings, maintaining her merry, somewhat ditsy behaviour. "This dreary place is where souls of the Vessels will come to take part in the sacrifice. A little like Limbo, if you will." She looked around once more and pulled a face of displeasure. "Wish it had a little colour though. Some lights would really spruce up the place, don't you think?"

Her eyebrows once again furrowed. "Souls?" She shook her head at the thought. "Wait. You said souls of Vessels... You're dead?"

"Eh. Not so much dead, but close. With being a Goddess, comes immortality. Trust me, it sounds great until you realise the amount of energy and bodily damage it takes to actually get here."

"So, you've come here to help me?"

The Empress scrunched her face. "I can guide you through it but ultimately, it is upto you. I'm just here to remind you what you have to live for."

"But I know what I need to live for. For my friends, for the world... For Sonic."

" _A_ _nd_ our children." She reminded the young Demigoddess. "We have a lot riding on this."

Her tone was now growing serious. With her laid back attitude becoming increasingly resolved, Amy couldn't help but feel the pressure. "What is this sacrifice?"

The Empress loosened up a little as she slowly paced around her. "I'm sure you have already wondered why the Vessels would just sit back and allow those with lesser power to annihilate them?" Amy nodded in response. "It's not that the Vessels didn't fight. Like you, they gave it their all and unfortunately, due to limited knowledge of their powers and succumbing to death, they didn't sacrifice themselves to Chaos."

"So the sacrifice involves us dying... Wait, so-"

"Yes." She answered her younger self before she could ask her question. "Our death is a landmark event. For the future to be in our favour, you have to sacrifice your morality and become who you were born to be." She informed the girl, placing her delicate hands on the younger hedgehogs equally delicate shoulders. "You need to become the Goddess of Chaos."

Amy stared, dumbfounded by all this information. She was bound to die in this battle in order to become the Goddess? Which meant to be reborn as an ethereal deity?

Yet, of all the Vessels that lived, none of them were able to perform this sacrifice?

"This sacrifice. How difficult is it?" Amy questioned the Goddess.

"You just figured it out yourself, have you not? Of all the Vessels that lived, we were the only ones to complete the sacrifice? Those odds don't seem good at all." She rubbed her chin as she pondered to herself.

Amy frowned at the Empress. "You know, your quirkiness is not appreciated right now."

The Empress softly giggled and bowed her head apologetically. "If it makes you feel better, we'll be the only Vessels to perform this sacrifice. Our children, as both Channelers and Vessels, will be able to unify Chaos and reach ultimate power without the need of sacrifice. It is the reason Vessels were created. To bridge the path between Vessel and Channeler and restore peace between clans, unite the world with Chaos once again."

She knew meeting Sonic was fate. From the moment she saw him, the destiny bond had been established. The thoughts of him that burned her mind uncontrollably throughout her childhood were now believed to be visions, luring her to her beloved. As one sided as it had started, she just knew that one day, when he was ready, he would love her too.

Sonic... She needed to get back to him.

"I'm ready." Amy declared, standing in front of the Empress with determination. "I'm ready to make the sacrifice."

"Alright!" Her Imperial counterpart cheered. She took Amy's hand and walked with her into the darkness. "We must hurry."

* * *

The beating hands of the Death Egg robots slammed down on the shield protecting the three hedgehogs. Grunting from the strain, Silver looked back once more at the grief stricken blue leader, wincing as the mechanical hand had slammed down on his force field again. "Sonic..." He grunted. "Come on. You gotta fight!"

Sonic refused to acknowledge his words. The will to fight had long since left him and his surroundings became insignificant.

Silver continued to struggle in holding the force field. Another fist forcefully hit the force field, bringing the silver furred hedgehog to fall on one knee. "Sonic!" He growled in frustration. Forcing himself back onto his feet, Silver continued to shield his ancestors. "I know it's hard but you gotta keep going! The whole team is fighting off Eggman's army. We need your help."

"Why?" Sonic mumbled. "What's there to fight for?" He lifted his head slightly, his eyes still gazing down at his beloved wife.

"Fight for Amy. Avenge her death. Prove that she didn't die in vain!"

Sonic swallowed hard and held back his tears. "I can't." A heavy sigh expelled from him, carrying fragments of his ache. "I can't do it, Silver." His voice cracked in his anguish. Unable to hold his pain, he hung his head in shame before his descendent.

"Sonic..." Silver said consolingly. "You don't have to let this consume you."

The blue hedgehog inhaled deeply and looked up at the male. "I tried to stop myself from feeling this way! I told myself not to get attached to her but I couldn't fight it! I was weak! And now, thanks to my weakness, I've lost everything! my wife, my children, my future! It's all gone! I don't have nothing else!"

Silver stared at the heartbroken hero, feeling his pain reflecting off of him. How Sonic's chest heaved erratically with frustration and distress and his eyes red, burning from unrelenting tears. A truly broken man to the loss of his beloved. The silver hedgehog looked back to his friends outside of the force field, watching as they carried on the fight through their own heartache. "You still have us..." He mumbled.

Sonic's heaving eased slightly to that fact. Yes, he had his friends. Those whom risk their lives to prevent this from happening. Those of whom had travelled through time just to prevent the death of the Goddess...

Wait.

Travelled through time.

To save the Goddess and ensure his and Amy's dynasty was going to happen.

Yes! That was it! What was it that Amy told him? Turn to logic? Trust genetics?

Oh she was a smart one.

"Silver..." Sonic gasped, slowly looking to the silver hedgehog once more. Gently, he placed his dear wife's body on the ground and got up to approach him. "Silver. You're still here..."

Silver turned his head to the blue hedgehog and stared quizzically. "Uh... Yeah?"

A overjoyed smile swept across his features. "You're here. Really, really here." He laughed in rejoice, smacking the silver furred hedgehog on his shoulder. "Alright. Get us out of this thing."

"Are you sure?" Silver asked, concerned about Sonic's mental state.

"Dude, you were literally just trying to get me out of here."

"Good point." He said, lowering the defenses.

His friends turned to sight of the disappearing force field and shared smiles of relief. "Sonic." Tails muttered to himself, overjoyed to see the hero back on his feet.

Seeing the force field vanish around the three hedgehogs, Eggman looked to Sonic and sneered to see him standing. "There you are, Sonic. Taking a break from whimpering, I see?"

"I was thinking of taking a permanent retirement from whimpering actually. It's really not my thing."

The Doctor's moustache twitched with curiosity and scepticism. Moments ago, the same hedgehog was heartbroken and drowning in his woe. Why was he so happy all of a sudden? "You certainly moved on from your precious wife quickly, hedgehog." He said, shifting uncomfortable with his uncertainty.

Sonic waved his finger. "There's a good reason for that, Doctor." He said in his resurrected, cocky attitude. He turned to his descendent and wrapped his arm around his shoulders. "You remember Silver, don't you?" He patted the man's shoulder with pride. "You may not believe this but we are actually related. And before you say anything, yes, the looks do fall short down the line."

"Hey!" Silver frowned.

Growing anxious with the riddles and anticipation, Eggman groaned and leaned forward. "What're you getting at?!"

"Trust genetics, Doc. I'm sure you don't need a lesson in biology." He looked to the round man expectantly. After a moment of silence from the doctor, Sonic gave him an exasperated look and patted Silver's shoulder again. "He's not only my descendent. He's also Amy's."

A shriek escaped the Doctor's mouth. "No! That's impossible!"

"What's happening?" Blaze asked as she, along with the others, rushed over.

"Yeah. Why are you so happy? You saw what happened to Amy." Knuckles said sternly towards Sonic.

Sonic chuckled and turned to the echidna. "Knuckles, think about it. If Silver's a descendent of both me _and_ Amy, he wouldn't have been born if Amy's dead... Yet he's still here."

Tails gasped. "There's still a chance that..." He turned towards Amy's still body. "But what do we do to wake her? She was shot through the heart."

"We leave it to Amy." He received quizzical looks. "She warned me of the possibility of this happening and to turn to logic, to trust genetics. She must of had a backup plan this whole time!" His excitement shortly turned to determination. "Tails, what's our position?"

The fox activated the communicator beside his exo suit bracelet and scanned the enemy around them. "There are three hundred and seven robots left."

"Heh, not much of a challenge." He smirked. "Alright team, let's do this!"

His team cheered and rushed back into battle alongside the leader. Silver covered the pink hedgehog with a force field before flying into battle to assist his team. Leaving Amy to her extradimensional plans.

* * *

Standing bare before her elder self, the Demigoddess waited in suspense as the Empress walked around her steadily, letting out small breaths she assumed were anxiety. She understood the sacrifice was at a great cost but her determination overpowered her doubts. She was doing this for Sonic. For the world.

At whatever cost, she would pull through.

She was certain...

Mostly.

"No!" Aurielle barked at the younger hedgehog. "Don't doubt yourself. Don't hold your anticipation." She was suddenly on edge. Her stern expression bearing into Amy's soul and ripping her in two.

Amy gulped. "Sorry..."

"You'll overcome this. You will because you have a husband, you have children and you have an Empire. The fate of the future demands that you complete this sacrifice. I demand it."

Leering shades of jade continued to pierce her in her vulnerable form. She found she missed the older woman's quirkiness in that moment as the Empress circled around her with the same scolding look.

"You must be willing to take part in this sacrifice. Persevere through the pain and make it out as the Goddess of Chaos. No more doubt, no ifs or buts. Just willingness and determination, if you please."

"What will it feel like?" She asked. "You've obviously lived through it. Do you remember what it was like?"

Aurielle hesitated to respond to that question. Knowing the excruciating ordeal was far beyond the bounds of pain any average Mobian could tolerate. This indescribable pain that would make childbirth comparable to a toothache. There was no use lying to herself. It was better to prepare for the worse than to be off guard.

She continued to walk around the young female, clasping her hands together doing so. "You will bear the pain of your death. You will fight against death itself and you will endure the splicing of your DNA as you ascend into a higher being. Millions of Vessels that once lived were unable to withstand the ordeal. But you will be the first as well as the last."

"You expect me to survive that?!"

"I am proof that you can survive it! We have too much to give up and I am _not_ losing our husband and our children. You will come to realise, as Empress, that nothing means more to you than our family." She stopped in front of the pink hedgehog and moved dangerously close to her. "With that fact, I know you can do it." She smiled and walk away from her.

Taking a moment to compose her thoughts and breathing, Amy closed her eyes and thought about all those she would save if she survived. Her friends, her people, her future children and her love. Another deep breath was taken before opening her eyes, both glistening with courage. "I'm ready."

Aurielle nodded back to her and held up her hand. "May Chaos be with you." She spoke solemnly as her hand dropped to her side.

A beaming light encased the Demigoddess, enclosing her with the harsh winds gushing upwards. The blistering winds had no effect on the girl in comparison to the excruciating pain that was the sacrifice. Her heart seared within her, exposing her to every sever her arteries had experienced in her death.

She instantly dropped onto all fours and desperately gasped for air. The simplest demand for breath was a laboured task as she gripped her chest. She soon found even trying to breath was a near impossible request.

"Focus!" Aurielle ordered. Her fists balled with anxiety and aching desperation. "Think about all those people that need you!"

How could she think of anybody during this excruciating ordeal? No amount of persuasion or determination would persuade anyone to endure this suffering had they known of it's intensity.

Her body greeted the ground with a small thump as the pain became too much for her to bare. Nails eagerly attempted to grip onto the nothingness that was the floor. Anything to ease the unbearable torture.

"Amy!" The Empress called out again. "Don't let your friends die!"

Right, friends. Shadow, Cream, Cheese, Blaze...

Slowly, the girl pulled herself back onto all fours.

Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, Silver, Cryptic...

Sonic.

" **AAAAAAAAHHH!"** She was ripped up from the ground and forced onto her knees as a force from within began to tear through her.

She had done it. She had beared through her own death and was now forced to breakaway from her demise. Her soul shattering within her was barely holding together through the sacrifice. She needed to remember her purpose was not yet fulfilled inorder to surpass death.

Aurielle already knew it was not an easy task to cheat death. Just as it was difficult to allow it. "You can do this, Amy! I know you can! Just keep thinking about your friends, the people of this world and what will become of them if you die."

Oh that was right. She was aware of Sonic becoming Metal Sonic. She wasn't knowledgeable on what happened to the world after that. "Your friends will die to Metal Sonic if you don't survive! Sonic will have no choice but to kill those he cares about. He will have no choice but to destroy countries! All those lives, the children, the elderly. We can't let them all die!"

" **AAAAAAHAAAA!** " Amy screamed, throwing her head back and arching her back in response to the inward force threatening to rip out of her.

The sounds of her own screams caused her to wince. A shrill, hallowing scream that expressed every bit of pain her younger self was forced through.

Even if her own screams were unbearable on her own ears, she would happily endure those screams for an eternity if it meant to save her family. "You have so much more to live for! All the adventures with Sonic, the crusade to become Emperor and Empress! The wedding night." A little amorous squeal escaped her lips. "By Chaos, the wedding night!"

The Demigoddess's body contorted backwards, her back bending abnormally to the indescribable force from within. The shattering pieces of her soul overpowered her determination.

"Amy! Focus!"

" **AAAAAAAH**!"

"Think of your husband! The hedgehog you loved even before you met him. Think of all those precious moments you had with him. Don't you want more of those? Don't you want to be by his side as his wife and the mother of his children?!" Aurielle called to her, his voice was full of anxiety.

Yes, she wanted more of those days. Those magical yet so ordinary days. The days where every little moment with Sonic reshaped the years of heartache her heart had endured. How day by day, he had slowly opened up to her, excitedly embraced the days with her and how, slowly but surely, he had fallen deeply for her. Just as she had for him so long ago.

Her body was lifted off the ground involuntarily and hovered within the illuminating light. Every nerve within her seared ferociously to the effects of her DNA being rewritten, replacing her mortality for a more celestial fate.

" **AAAAAAAAHHH!** " Amy howled through the agonising transformation.

"Yes, yes! You got this, Amy! You've almost done it! Just keep thinking about those who need you!" Aurielle continued to encourage her younger self. "We have so much to live for." She whispered softly to herself, taking a moment to look down at her currently flat stomach and rubbing it. "Astra and Nova won't go to sleep without a bedtime story and Core simply loves to have cuddles with mummy. Jolt, my trusty little man. He likes to be tucked into bed, with a little kiss on his forehead. I couldn't tell you what the newborns are like. I don't even know what the last born looks like. You're the only one who can keep them from fading from existence, Amy! I implore you. Save them!"

Jolt, Core, Astra and Nova. Without her, they would fade away? Of course. Why hadn't she even considered that? The poor little souls would be forced to watch one another cease to exist and the world they knew turn to nothing.

She refused to let that happen.

Channeling her powers from within, Amy closed her eyes and focused on the desire to return to her body. She channeled her emotions; her determination, love, anger and hope, into one command.

Falling on all fours, the Empress gasped desperately as her own DNA was being altered. "Do it now!" She cried out.

"Chaos... Control!"

* * *

"Squash those pest, you oversized egg timers!" Eggman shrieked in his Egg Mobile, shaking the exterior with both hands in his suspense.

From his seat, he could see his ground level robots continue to be destroyed by Sonic and his meddling team. His robot count was dropping rapidly thanks to Sonic's newfound strive to keep going.

This wasn't how this was supposed to go. The blue hedgehog was supposed to be far too heartbroken to go on. His will was supposed to be diminished, not overpowered. Was there something going on that he couldn't comprehend? If it was true, what Sonic said about Silver, the hovering hedgehog should have ceased to exist, right?

Perhaps it was a misconception. Yeah, that silver furred hedgehog was possibly not even related to that pink rat and his presence was just proof of that. Yes, he had to consider all possibilities.

Especially when his Empire was a stake.

A blue spiral twisted up to the sky before the round man, causing him to squeal in his chair. The attack destroyed the nearby Egg Hunters with ease. To Eggman's displeasure, Sonic surfaced from the spiral and smirked towards him before gravity could bring him back down to the rocky surface below.

"Grr! You little pest! If your precious wife was going to stand on her feet again, she would have done it already! You're simply running on last hope!"

Sonic quickly looked towards the force field with his wife still laying inside it. That was a possibility. What if Amy didn't have a plan? She hadn't told him anything about said plan, he was merely trusting to believe she did after she had told him to trust genetics. While Silver was still present in the battle, he didn't have substantial evidence that Silver was infact related to either of them. He was a hedgehog. Other than that, what resemblance did they have?

No. Now he was just overthinking. Generations had passed once Silver was supposed to be born. Genetics were bound to change a lot in that time. The blood of Vessel and Channeler would always be within him.

He shook his head to rid the discerning thoughts. His wife was the Goddess of Chaos with the ability to see the future. She wouldn't have told him to trust genetics for no reason.

As her most loyal worshipper, he knew not to question her when in times like these.

"What's wrong with hope, Eggman? When things start to look bad, what better time to turn to what you believe in?" Sonic smiled. "Oh, I thought you'd like to know I've recently become quite the believer in Chaos. Especially when the Goddess of Chaos is one heck of a woman."

Eggman looked disgruntled towards the mention of the Goddess. "Face it, Sonic! She's not coming back!"

"But she will..."

"She won't!"

"Oh but she will."

"She won't!"

A golden ray of light came from the position of the fallen Demigoddess and shot up to the scarlet sky, evaporating the gloomy black clouds that were unfortunate enough to be in the way.

"No! It can't be!" Eggman gasped at the pillar of golden light. So this was the true awakening. The one which would bring his downfall. No! He wouldn't let that happen without giving the Goddess everything he had. "All robots, get that girl!" His robots looked to the light and then back at their creator, puzzled by their inability to see her. "In the light! She's in the light! Go get her!"

The pillar soon vanished, revealing the celestial being, stripped of fabric though covered by the aura that surrounded her. Her form was near translucent. Bathed in a white light. She walked forward, a contemplative, serious expression covering her feminine features as she approached the incoming Death Eggs and slow approaching Death Egg Sentinels.

"Get her!" Eggman bellowed, riddled with panic to see the godly woman heading back into battle with his mechs.

With a mere sweep of her hand, the colossal machines were stripped from reality and reduced to cinder.

"No!" Eggman cried. The man slouched in his chair, feeling defeated in the girl's resurrection. His eyes peered down at his monitor to see his robot count had been reduced to one hungry and eight from two hundred and seventy six after Amy had erased all his Death Eggs and Sentinels in one sweeping move.

As his predecessor had done, he grabbed hold of his controls and made an escape towards his Fortress, in Metropolis. Leaving his robots to fend for themselves.

Noticing Eggman's escape, Amy decided to give the man a generous headstart. She jumped off the ground and flew across the battlefield towards Cream and Cheese. She landed in front of them, first placing her hand on Cream's head and healing the rabbit's eye and then taking the Chao off the ground and healing him.

"Thank you, Amy." Cream took back her Chao friend and humbly bent her knee before the Goddess.

"Please don't do that." Amy tittered.

"Amy." Sonic's voice came from behind her. Amy quickly span around to see her husband, along with the team, rushing over to her.

A delighted squeal escaped her as she ran over to him and threw her arms around him. "Sonic!" She squeezed him tightly and buried her face into his shoulder. "Oh Sonic." She whispered faintly, her voice beginning to seep with emotion.

His arms wrapped around her just as tight, both relieved and somewhat astounded by the miraculous spectation of her. She was really back from the dead. As a full fledged Goddess no less.

He pulled away slightly and moved his hands to her face, studying her to prove to himself that she was truly with him again. His emerald eyes were met with her faded, white eyes he was growing accustomed to seeing. Disheartening ever so slightly to not be met with jade eyes, he looked to her pellucid skin that reflected her benevolent aura. Her fur, wiped of colour, shined brightly with the aura around her.

"You did it." He exhaled in relief. "I knew you'd do it." He smiled, running his fingers through her flowing quills.

"Hmm, yes. That little moment of doubt to Silver not being our descendent never happened, did it?" She smirked mischievously.

He chuckled somewhat nervously. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"If you need reminding, it was right before-"

She was pulled into a smoldering kiss before she could finish her sentence. Startled, she gasped. His intensity was boundless. The way his fingers gently yet passionately gripped onto her hair and the way his kiss expressed his mixed emotions of love and frustration. His influence over her shortly lead her to swoon into the kiss, gripping onto his waist and matching his level of passion.

"Uh, guys?" Tails said awkwardly, copying the motion of his friends and turning away from the amorous couple. "Shouldn't we stop Doctor Eggman?" He dared to look back at them, immediately regretting the decision. He was able to notice Sonic raising a finger to him, insisting he needed a moment with his wife. Groaning in displeasure, he looked away again.

He showed little consideration to their friends being present. Weeks of the sickening feeling of her death hanging over his shoulders and to momentarily witness that death had lead to copious amounts of anxiety he was currently venting into his kiss. Eggman and his goons could wait. For a moment.

His hands wandered down to her back and rested on her hips, moving her closer in the process. To his surprise, he felt the familiarity of her bare body against his. His shock quickly brought the blue hedgehog back to reality as he broke the kiss and moved Amy to arms length. "Are you-"

"Just a little." She whispered, giggling to his stunned expression.

He looked her up and down and proceeded to chortle. "This is officially my favourite transformation of yours."

"I'm happy you approve." She smiled mischievously. "You'll be seeing a lot more of this form in future." She whispered quietly.

His cheeks involuntary burned. "Really?"

"Or shall I say, Super Sonic will?"

The blush on his cheeks grew deeper at the thoughts racing through his head. He chuckled sheepishly before clearing his throat. Those kind of thoughts would have to wait until later. "Alright. We gotta war to win." He took Amy's hand in his and approached their friends who were turning round to face them. "Tails, enemy update."

The fox performed a scan on the enemies. "One hundred and eight ground level robots." He told the blue leader. "Eggman's retreated. No doubt he's gone back to his fortress."

"No worries. We'll catch up to that Egg. For now, those robots need to be scrapped." Sonic looked to the remaining robots and cracked his knuckles.

"Yay, more fighting..." Rouge sighed. "Not done enough of that."

Amy turned to the bat, suddenly remembering her wounded wing. She walked up to the bat and gently touched her injured wing, healing her wing subsequently.

Rouge flapped her wings. "Now that's more like it." She smiled towards the celestial hedgehog. "Thanks, Pink... Or rather, White. Good choice in pelt by the way. Very glamorous."

Amy took a quick sweep of her appearance, grateful that no one other than Sonic was aware of nudity beneath her aura. "Thanks." She said bashfully. Turning her mind back to the task at hand, she beckoned the three male hedgehogs over to her. "Did you know that harnessing doesn't actually need to involve kissing?" She held out her hands, ready to share her power with the fighters.

Forming a circle with the Goddess; Shadow, Silver and Sonic held out their hands and channeled the energy that Amy was expelling. With her power, they were able to transform into their super forms.

She turned to the direction of Metropolis. "Let's say we make this a quick clean up and then we get Eggman."

"Eggman will be preparing his cryogenic tank once he reaches his fortress." Cryptic reminded her.

"Before that, he'll need to transfer the evidence to Eggman in another time." Tails interjected. "No matter if we win this war, if Eggman leaves any kind of document behind for himself, history will continue to repeat itself." The genius turned to Sonic. "You'll always have the risk of losing if that information gets back to the Doctor."

"A paradox." Amy mumbled to herself. "Okay. Sonic and I will stop Doctor Eggman from transferring any documents. You guys make sure none of these robots survive."

"Right!" The team responded, disbanding from the Goddess and leader to take on the final hoard of robots.

The couple nodded towards one another and flew off towards Metropolis. Two streaks of white and gold painting the sky in their rush to stop the Doctor. They arrived shortly in Metropolis, taking a moment to look at the intact city then turning their attention to the grand fortress.

"Eggman's centre chamber is on the bottom floor." Sonic informed his wife.

"Then we must hurry."

He nodded back at her and dived alongside her into the crater containing the high tech tower fortress and heading straight into the lower decks. The ground level of the colossal base held the biggest chamber.

"That has to be it." Sonic said.

Amy gestured for Sonic to break through the entrance. Smirking, the gold hedgehog spin dashed through the thick walls and broke into the main chamber with Amy following close behind.

"Aah!" Eggman yelped, dropping to his knees after being startled by the super hedgehogs confronting him. He carefully got up and turned to the couple, holding up a switch connected to his machine. "Think before you act!" He pointed to the machine beside him. "This machine is powered by a chaos emerald! Pull a rash move and glitzy here could cause catastrophic damage!"

Amy frowned at the Doctor and stepped forward. Reaching out her hand to the machine, she ripped the chaos emerald out. The machine rattled violently as the chaos emeralds jittered out of it's secure lock and slowly made its way towards her.

"W-wait!" Eggman shrieked.

The lights flickered around them and their surroundings shook in response to the chaos energy being extracted as one of the fortress's source of power.

"You'll destroy the entire fortress!" The Doctor yelled his warning.

Ignoring the man, Amy continued to extract the chaos emerald. The glass around the miracle gem began to crack and gradually shattered, allowing the emerald to float into the Goddess's hand. The lights around them switched off indefinitely.

With the power out, the Doctor was unable to send his book back in time. More importantly, his cryogenic tank was out of service.

Panicked, the doctor grabbed his two loyal assistants and pulled out a laser gun attached to his belt, aiming it for the door and shooting it open. He dashed out, stumbling into the wall opposite in his haste. He had to switch on the backup power unit. Without it, he would be unable to enter the cryogenic tank.

Amy turned to Sonic once more and silently commanded him to go after the man. Sonic flew off in pursuit of the Doctor. He captured him with ease, knocking him and his assistants; Orbot and Cubot to the floor and turning him over to face him. "It's over, Eggman. Give up."

"Sonic!" The Doctor held his hands up. "You wouldn't hurt me, would you? Think of all the good times we've shared!"

The gold hedgehog raised an eyebrow. "You shot my wife! You were gonna turn me into a robot! You were gonna force me to kill my friends and you run the risk of destroying everything we have in the future!"

"That?" He laughed nervously. "That was all a misunderstanding! It's not like I've done all of those things at this point in time. I can still turn over a new leaf, I swear!"

Amy watched on from nearby. She knew Sonic would have mercy on the man no matter what Eggman told him. He was the compassionate kind. A lover besides a fighter. But the paradox was triggered by the this man. That book with Eggman's perspective of the future was still within this fortress and with Eggman around, the possible future would always be there to haunt them.

She sighed, knowing her actions would eventually have consequences. Closing her eyes for a moment, she allowed dark chaos energy to be channeled into her husband. To ensure nothing got in his way, she held out her hand and stopped Orbot and Cubot from getting close to them by manipulating time for them, slowing them down.

The hero's golden pelt began to change to a dark blue and a black aura began to overcome him. He grunted in discomfort to the negative energy filling him. As his emerald eyes began to fade, her dark influence took over.

"You expect me to show you mercy? After everything you had planned for me?" The dark hedgehog grabbed the laser gun from the Doctor's belt and stood up, aiming it for Eggman's head. "It's nothing personal."

"W-wait! I beg you, Sonic! Have mercy!" Eggman begged his nemesis.

"Say goodbye, Eggman."

The laser shot out of the gun and fired through the skull of his arch enemy, stunting any movement from the man. His head dropped to the floor, never to move again.

Amy released the little robots from her time manipulation. The robots appeared confused momentarily before they realised what had happened to their creator. "Boss!" Orbot and Cubot cried out, rushing to Eggman's side.

"Oh Doctor..." Orbot looked down solemnly.

Amy looked to her husband and removed the dark energy from him, returning him back to his super form. He shuddered and held his head. "Whoa... What?" He looked down at the deceased man in front of him, his eyes widening in horror. "Wha- Eggman?"

"Sonic." Amy walked up behind him. "It's okay... It's okay." She soothed him, gently easing the gun out of his hand. It dropped to the floor, surprising the hero.

He stared at the laser gun on the ground. "I- Did I?"

"You did what was best for our future." She told him, not certain if she convincing him or herself. "Come. We have to get out of here."

Sonic nodded back at her, too shocked to speak. Riddled with guilt, Amy focused on the mournful robots beside the Doctor. She approached them and expressed her empathy. "Grief is truly a powerful thing. Very, very powerful." She knelt down before the robots. "Allow me to ease your suffering."

"Amy? What are-?" Sonic asked. He stopped mid sentence as he watched her switch off their power and caused the loyal aides to drop to the floor, beside their master.

The Goddess looked up at her husband. "Sacrifices must be made in a world full of injustice." She spoke grievously, getting up from the ground and taking his hand. "Let's go."

She created a portal and pulled him into it. The couple were transported a short distance from Eggman's fortress.

"Why are we here?" Sonic asked.

"To finish what was started." She told him with a serious tone of voice that made him uneasy. Amy walked to the edge of the crater and looked down at the fortress. Activating her chaos energy to her hands, she began to destroy the foundation of the colossal base and gradually destroyed the tower's structure.

"Amy!" Sonic flew to her side. "You'll crush them!"

"You're right." She said nonchalantly, continuing to destroy the fortress. "Them, and also any documentation containing plans for the alternate dimensions."

He stared at her, completely bewildered by her rash judgement. "We only had to destroy the evidence!"

"And we have!" She turned to him. "We've won this war and saved our future from ever being rewritten!"

"You've rewritten it!" He growled.

"To save our people! To save our family... To save you." Her frustration faded and was replaced with her soothing tone of voice. "All of this was for you."

Sonic glared at her, his eyes not leaving her as he walked away. Sighing to herself, the celestial hedgehog ripped away layers of the distant mountains and hurled them her way. She dropped the pieces of rock into the crater, burying the base underground.

With her task completed, she turned around to see her lover was facing away from her, his arms crossed to show his anger. Returning to her normal form, she fabricated a burgundy battle dress, one mimicking the fashion of her older self. Slowly, she walked up to him and inhaled deeply, preparing for the heavy conversation that was to follow.

* * *

Chest heaving with angst, Sonic's eyes never left the sights of the temple. Something was wrong. He could feel it. There was no reason for his wife to transfer any of her powers to him and yet, he was in hyper form. What was she planning? What had she done?

Eggman stopped his Egg Mobile above the Emperor and leaned over his monitor. "You can't lose me that easily, hedgehog!"

The blue hedgehog refused to acknowledge the man in the flying machine. He needed to get back to his wife. Nothing could stop him from getting back to her.

"Are you listening?!" Eggman yelled.

"Sonic?" Knuckles and Rouge ran over to the hero. "What's happening? Why are you in that form?"

"Has something happened to Amy?" Rouge asked, concerned for her regal friend.

Sonic slowly turned to his friends but couldn't say a word. His chest heaved once more, this time, with anger and determination. He looked up at the Doctor, his breathing irrational and heavy. Leaping onto the Egg Mobile, he growled at the man in front of him. "I will **not** lose everything to you. I won't let you take everything away from me!"

At sonic speed, the Emperor flew into the Death Egg Sentinels and destroyed them with ease. Eggman watched in horror as his machines were reduced to scrap, one after another in such a short period of time. His vengeance was spent. Game over.

"No!" The man wailed.

Spin dashing into the Egg Mobile, Eggman was knocked out of his flying machine and onto the ground. Sonic charged at him, making him shriek and scurry back against a tree. "No! Don't hurt me, please!"

"Sonic!" His friends called out to him, trying to calm him down.

The Emperor grabbed onto Eggman's coat and held him up. "No more fighting."

"Of course! Of course! Whatever you want!"

"You'll never attempt to destroy our pasts or come for me and my family again." He told him.

"No, never."

"Good." He shoved the Doctor against the tree as he let go of his clothing. "We're finished here." He turned away from the Doctor and began to walk off.

"No, no, no, wait! Aaaah!"

Eggman's cry stopped the hyper hedgehog in his tracks. The scream at the end appeared to be faint. Confused, Sonic turned back to see the Doctor was nowhere to be seen. The man, as well as his Egg Mobile and scraps of metal had vanished.

Along with the memory of him being there in the first place.

"What am I doing out here?" Sonic asked himself aloud. He looked around and familiarised himself with his surroundings. He was in the forests, not too far away from the city. Why was he here? Why were his friends out here with him?

Why and how was he in hyper form?

The questions were put on hold as the rushing memories flooded his mind. The flashbacks of himself holding a gun to Eggman's head and pulling the trigger, seeing his nemesis falling to the ground instantly and hearing his wife consoling him filled his conscience. What was this? What were these images?

He wasn't entirely sure he remembered doing any of those things.

"Sonic..." Knuckles and Rouge leisurely made their way over to the Emperor, both confused and a little disoriented. "What's going on?" Knuckles asked.

"I don't know..." He responded, just as baffled as they were.

Another nagging feeling came to mind. He could've sworn he was supposed to be somewhere...

... Amy!

"Gotta go!" He took off in a flash, leaving his confused friends behind. Rushing back through the unspoiled city, he dashed back into the temple and to where he had last seen his wife before whatever task he had been given lead him outside the city.

Rushing through the halls, he stopped when he spotted a crowd of servants and midwives huddling outside the room Amy had been delivering. With his hyper form fading, he slowly made his way to them, suddenly terrified by the amount of traumatised and saddened faces.

Just what had happened?

The crowd noticed him and bowed. "Your Imperial Majesty." They greeted him, their usual cheery attitudes were no longer apparent.

"What's happened? Are the babies okay?" He asked, trying to keep his composure.

The servants nodded, moving out the way of the midwives who held the twins. He was relieved to see his newborns were unharmed but the urgency to see his wife kept him from seeing them.

He nodded back at the midwives and servants then turned to the grand doors. His servants acted quickly and stood beside the doors, ready to open the doors for their ruler. The matron stepped forward before he could make his way to his wife and grovelled at his feet. "My sisters and I did everything we could, Sire!" She cried.

Her words did nothing for his already racing nerves. Nevertheless, he bowed his head to her as an act of gratitude and turned back to the doors. Taking a deep breath, the blue hedgehog nodded to the servants to open the doors. They opened the doors and bowed, watching his feet step into the room of the Empress.

The doors were closed behind him. His eyes instinctively slammed shut, fearing the sight of her. He had already experienced this pain. The agonising pain of losing his beloved wife. First to Eggman and now to childbirth.

He had to break the news to their children. He would have to tell them their mother was dead.

A heavy sigh full of sorrow left him. His dear children were waiting on the birth of their siblings. Ready for him to bring them to their mother and introduce the newborns. How was he meant to tell them about their mother?

He couldn't even face her himself.

Taking another deep breath, the Emperor forced himself to open his eyes and look to his wife.

His breathing ceased.

Her face covered by her long quills showed a glimpse of her greyish skin. Head turned to the side, facing the windows, no light to shower her face. Beneath her, the sheets had been replaced with fresh bedding, her blood long since stopped.

"Amy..." He breathed out with heavy emotion. The tears flowed involuntarily and the pounding of his heart brutally slammed into his aching chest.

Why wasn't he here? Why did she suffer this painful death without him? Nothing could be as important than supporting his wife through the pains of labour.

She died alone. In pain and alone.

Moving to her side, he knelt down beside her and took her hand in his. "I'm so sorry." He held back his emotions and closed his eyes solemnly. "I should have been here..."

Wait a second. He did want to be there. It was her who told him to trust her, that she knew what she was doing.

Now that he thought about it, wasn't she immortal? Why didn't she just spring back like she usually did?

Why did he have memories from a life he didn't live?

How did he go into hyper form without any super emeralds?

His eyebrows furrowed to all the questions running through his mind. Wanting to be certain of the situation, he gently moved her quills out of her face and moved in close to her face. As he partially expected, her eyelids flickered slightly. Her left eye slowly opened and focused on him.

"Sonic..." She whispered softly.

He stared at her, slowly moving back and forming a frown on his features. "What have you done?"


	15. Erased

Chapter Fifteen: Erased

A barrier of thick tension divided them despite the two metre distance. Her lover was still turned away from her, while aware of her presence, he refused to turn and face her.

She didn't have to read his mind to understand he was disgusted and disappointed in her actions. Such a heinous and out of character decision to rid the world of the Doctor. It was a decision powered by strong emotions. It was not one to rejoice over. It was a heavy sacrifice. One she would carry for eternity.

It wasn't so much the guilt of disposing of the Doctor that was eating away at her. Yes, she felt guilty and bore his blood on her hands, but knowing her husband was so repulsed by her judgement that her image in his eyes was spoilt, it hurt. Gravely.

Was it not for the best? As Goddess of Chaos, she had delivered divine judgement on Doctor Eggman. With him gone, there would be less suffering, no possibility of their future being tampered with.

She brought salvation.

Was that not best for her people?

Best for their family?

Taking another step towards her husband, Amy took another deep breath, only for her breathing to be trapped in her gripping chest, full of heavy emotion. An exhale, just as strong as the intake of breath, released from her lips as she prepared to speak. Opening her mouth slightly, another breath came out as she stopped herself while Sonic asked her a question.

"What was going through your mind? When you buried them, what were you thinking?"

From the sound of his voice, he was numbed by the number of emotions toying at his heart. He was looking for understanding. Killer to killer.

She stuttered on her words. Oh Sonic, the blood she had forced onto his hands without his knowledge. One of the severe consequences her decision had caused.

Through the sorrow, her eyes never left him. "I thought of you. Of our future." She spoke with false confidence.

A small breath could be heard from him. To her surprise, a faint chuckle too. One of disbelief, one to cover his sorrow. "I didn't think of anything. I don't even know what I was thinking." A pained sigh escaped him. "I killed him. I killed-" He looked up to the sky in despair. "I don't kill!" He yelled with agitation. He turned to face her, his face full of anguish. "I fight robots! I don't take lives! Why? Why did I take his?!"

Amy's head dropped to face the ground, too ashamed to face him. This was her doing. She had done this to him.

Yet she couldn't bring herself to tell him.

"And you?" He breathed out. "You stand there, hardly effected by what you saw! You watched me kill Doctor Eggman! Why didn't you stop me? How can you look at me the same way?!"

"Because I love you-"

He was right in front of her before she could say anything else. She gasped, steadily looking up into his ruby eyes, witnessing just how much pain she had brought him. "You love me. You know me more than anybody else. Why did you let me kill him?" Such pain in his voice forced her to look down in shame once more.

She whimpered sorrowfully. "Sonic..."

"Answer me!" He demanded.

"Because..." She once again forced herself to look at him. Tears began to seep down her cheeks uncontrollably. "Because I thought the world would be better off without him!" The look of disgust appeared on his face again before he turned and walked away. "Sonic..."

"You've allowed me to carry this on my conscience forever." He told her, turning back to her with a look of disapproval on his face. "You're the Goddess of Chaos! You could have done anything to stop this!"

"Yes! I am the Goddess of Chaos! That is exactly why I let it happen!" She yelled back at him.

Confusion swept over him, silencing him in the process. He squinted his eyes, not sure of her perspective or whether he wanted to hear it.

"You deem my actions as unforgivable, monstrous. But are they truly? Are good and bad really as black and white?" He refused to answer, frowning yet allowing her to speak. "As a Goddess, I bring as much destruction as I do salvation. I will become many things. Many of which you would've never seen me do as a mortal. I will kill. I will desolate. I will bring chaos. Because in order to save many and do the right thing, there will be a lot of sacrifice."

"What are you saying? That it's justified to kill someone?"

"Yes. If it means salvation and justice for many."

He scoffed. "The Amy I know wouldn't have agreed."

His words sliced through her, causing her to wince. "This **is** the real me! I am Aurielle Paeonia!"

"Amy denounces that name."

"I can't deny who I am anymore!"

He confronted her again, towering over her in his annoyance. "Amy denounces her name and who she is for the sake of her husband and her family." He turned his body away from her. "You are not Amy. You're not my wife." He said bitterly.

Another worded knife to the heart ceased her breath. "S-Sonic?"

"The Amy I knew would never believe in this. She would never allow killing and justified it for the greater good."

"What else could I have done?!" She screamed at him. "With Eggman gone, we have saved thousands of lives!"

"That doesn't mean he deserved to die."

"With him still in the timeline, that documents could have still gotten to the Eggman of the past!"

"Not if we destroyed the documents and the cryogenic tank... **Like we were supposed to!** "

"All possibilities of destruction to our family were wiped out with him erased from the timeline."

Sonic growled and ran his fingers through his quills. "You are no different than him! Killing one another to get your ideal lives."

She scrunched her features in protest to his claim. "I am nothing like him." She said sternly. "I have brought divine judgement on his despicable crimes against this world and it's people. I have rid the world of his wrong doing. I have brought justice!"

Stunned was the blue hedgehog to hear such delusion. His wife, well known for her short temper at times, was not a killer. She was a beautiful soul with a wild spirit. A reflection of him with added grace and empathy. This woman before him displayed none of that right now. She was sanctimonious, delusional and outright merciless.

Just how did she become so callous? Were these traits given to her in her ascension? Did she have these traits all along? "What happened to you, Amy?"

"I passed the judgement for the Gods!" She cried out to him, Her tone pleading with him to see her perspective. "I saw the opportunity to get rid of him and I took it! I admit I shouldn't have used you to-"

"Whoa. Wait... Rewind that last part." He held out his hand to stop her talking. The realisation, along with a storm of horror and betrayal slammed into his chest and tore him apart. This wasn't her doing. It couldn't be. "Y-" He swallowed hard, staring at her with wide eyes, full of pain and confusion. "You made me do this?"

Her lips quivered as all the potential words to cover her deceit failed her. In her inability to speak, she looked down to hide her guilt.

Seeing the guilt all over her, Sonic's hurt turned to anger. His own wife had forced him to commit an act he would never be capable of committing willingly. Her? The girl he gave his heart to? The one he swore himself to? She had manipulated his free will and used him as a puppet in what she called, her act of divine judgement?

No. Not his wife. Not Amy.

"You forced me to kill..." He spoke quietly, trying with all his might to refrain from unleashing his rage on her. His leering eyes never left her, making the restraint ever more difficult. "Knowing Eggman was gonna force me kill our friends, against my will... You made me do the same?" His fists balled, his restraint slipping. "And you have the nerve to tell me you're not like him?"

That was right. Eggman was to force Sonic to kill their friends. He would bear the pain of killing those he cared about and with that pain, he'd lose his mind.

Oh... Oh what had she done?

Even if Eggman had been Sonic's arch nemesis, the burden of wearing the Doctor's blood on his hands would bear down the same mental turmoil as it had done in the alternate dimension.

Ultimately creating the worse possible future with Sonic becoming overwhelmed with remorse and grief and her becoming his new enemy.

She messed up in the worse possible way.

The tears spilled from her eyes as she looked back at him with deep seeded regret. "I-I did it for you." She spoke quietly, her voice squeaking slightly to her emotions.

He wasn't falling for that.

His anger spilt. "None of this was for me!" He roared back at her. His fury bellowed in his voice and brought the girl to immediate silence. "Don't you **dare** put that on me. I didn't want him dead! I would never expect you to kill."

Unable to handle his anger being aimed at herself, the pink hedgehog covered her face and let out her grief. "I just wanted to rid the world of Eggman for the sake of the future."

The blue hedgehog looked away and crossed his arms. "You have destroyed any future we would of had together."

Her head shot up and looked to him in astonishment and terror. "N-no. Sonic. Please, don't say that." Her voice broke into a desperate squeal.

Sonic closed his eyes, holding back his own emotions and refusing to show any doubt in his decision. "You're not the girl I fell in love with. You're reckless, callous and mad with power." His form began to return back to his original blue pelt. "However you choose to rule, so be it. You'll have to do that without me." He was about to take off but was stopped by the girl lunging forward and grabbing his arm. He looked over his shoulder at her, seeing her weep with remorse.

"Please." She begged. "Have mercy."

"I'm giving you more mercy than you gave the Doctor." He turned away.

"Sonic. I can't do this without you." He refused to respond. "Please. You mean everything to me. You always have."

"I'm sorry." He said softly yet without compassion. "You chose your future."

In his attempt to break away from her grasp, he jerked his arm forward and unintentionally knock the Goddess to the ground. He quickly span round to see if she was okay. She lifted herself onto all fours, whimpering hopelessly. "It changed me!" She screamed, following her outbursts with rash breathing from her heaving chest. "The ascension. It shattered my organs and redesigned them. Attempted to rip my soul out of me, only to rewrite it to suit this... this power within me. You are right. Amy would never have made that decision, but Aurielle would..." She whimpered woefully. "And she did."

"So the woman I married was killed by Doctor Eggman and this Goddess, Aurielle replaced her?" He asked. He didn't want to believe that was a possiblity. Upon their reunion, she had ran into his arms and kissed him just as passionately as she would have before she died. That was his Amy. She still had to be alive within the Goddess.

"No." She rose onto her knees and looked up at him with dilated, watering eyes. "I mean... Oh, I don't know! I remember everything in my life, I cherish every moment we've had together. You are and always will be the most important person to me... I don't know what came over me in that moment. This... Rage, overwhelmed me. This man with all these despicable crimes on his name was going to escape. He was going to try and make a comeback in the future and I couldn't allow it."

Again, rage was something Amy had known. An old trait she had long since grown out of. But a deep, overwhelming rage towards Eggman? No. Granted, she didn't like the man and it was justified to dislike him even more for shooting her. But to be overwhelmed with rage after a moment to judge his crimes? That wasn't her.

If she was truly Aurielle in that moment, this Goddess of Chaos, maybe she wasn't acting on her own rage. After all, the power of Chaos resided within her.

Would it really be farfetched to believe that a piece of the Gods, renowned for their judgement on the Echidna Chief, Pachacamac and his men, now resided in her and had passed judgement on Eggman?

And if that were the case, the Gods would be using the Vessels as literal vessels to become Mobian and pass judgement on those they deemed unworthy.

Oh... He was beginning to understand the reason behind the Clan's name.

That left Amy a confused, overpowered puppet who could be taken over by this rage whenever the Gods felt like passing judgement.

"I'll do anything to make this right, Sonic. Whatever it takes to bring back the Amy you love, I'll do it." She dropped into a worshipping position. "Please." She looked up at him with teary eyes. "Please help me fix what I've done."

She grovelled at his feet, submitting herself to him. Sonic stepped back in discomfort; not being one to appreciate worship. She hung her head before him, bowing to whatever deity would call a lesser being. Apart of him told himself to just leave her there. This woman had betrayed him and proved to be no better than their late enemy. At the same time, he wasn't sure it was her actions or some other deity using her to do their bidding.

This was infuriating! There could have been more to this power of the Gods, and yet, what proof did he have of that? He still had limited knowledge of her powers and just how she managed to resurrect herself. In fact, he was very much lacking in knowledge in a lot of her clan's history and their potential.

A clan used as celestial judges.

Potential threats to Mobians.

Then again, what was it Cryptic had told him weeks ago? Something about Vessels being killed by Channelers? Why hadn't they used their powers to fight back? With the power of Chaos at their disposal, surely they could have destroyed the Channelers?

Was that an act of mercy?

No. Like Amy, an awakening would unlock their powers. Whatever that involved. So from what he knew, there hadn't been any other awakening in history.

What made Amy so different?

... Oh. Now he remembered. The whole reason why Cryptic was sent back in time to warn him.

Fate.

That ugly trickster that had came to be despite his prior unwillingness. From what he could remember Knuckles telling him, there was a tale that foretold the coming of a mortal embodiment of Chaos. That one day, they'd find another user of Chaos and together, they'd forge a dynasty under what they'd call the Chaos Order.

A Vessel, in need of a Channeler, to unite and create a new race of Mobians.

... So perhaps this wasn't just about offspring and creating a dynasty...

It was like Silver said, Amy being like a chaos emerald. Exhibiting both good and evil energy but it was up to the Channeler to use that power for good.

Without him, her powers could destroy the world, rather than save it.

The true reason behind their fate. Unite both Channelers and Vessels and together, unite the world.

Sighing to himself and smiling hopelessly down at her, Sonic knelt down and pulled his wife into his arms. "You're chaotic alright."

A quiet gasp escaped her as she was pulled into his arms. Too stunned to return the affection, the Goddess blinked the building tears out of her eyes. "I'm so sorry." She squealed, squeezing her teary eyes shut tightly and burying her face against his chest.

He pulled away from her slightly and showed her his forgiving smile. "It's you and me against the problem, not us against one another." Her eyes met with his. "We gotta find a way to sort this."

"I'll do anything." She mumbled grievously.

He paused, a solution momentarily coming to mind. If she went back and changed her actions, Eggman would live.

But what about her judgement? Was there a need to fulfil to serve justice from the Gods? He wasn't certain. Though if there was, not fulfilling said judgement could lead to more chaos. How could they pass judgement without killing the Doctor?

... Oh!

"That's it!" He exclaimed, making her jump in the process. "Hate the crime, not the guy!" Amy tilted her head in confusion. The blue hedgehog chuckled and jumped to feet. "Eggman doesn't have to die. If you go back and erase his memory, his crimes are punished, not him! He can't ever harm another life if he's not a villain."

She gasped with astonishment. She hadn't even thought of that. It was genius! It was true salvation. These actions would save lives, the future and Sonic's love for her.

A deep, overwhelming sense of approval was channeled into happiness as she leapt up from the ground and jumped up and down, holding onto his shoulders tightly with resolve. "Yes! Oh Sonic, you're a genius!" In a haste, the girl span around and created a portal, taking her back to the moments after they broke into Eggman's fortress. As she stepped forward, she noticed Sonic stayed stationed. She turned to face him, seeing him biting his lip. "You're not coming?"

"No."

Now she was biting her lip. If he stayed, this version of him would cease to exist, erasing this revelation of her character. He didn't want to remember. This self righteous, evil side of her that ruined the image he had of her in his mind.

She looked away, not feeling worthy to look into his benevolent eyes. "Okay." She said shamefully. Hanging her head, she turned back to the portal, only to stop herself from entering. She couldn't leave this dead end in the timeline without knowing how he felt. "Sonic...?"

"Hmm?"

The Goddess turned back to her husband and bowed her head once again. "Even though you know of this... darkness within me... Do you still accept me as your one and only? Do you still love me?" She forced herself to look back at him to see his face. An emotionless, apathetic expression was reflected on his strong features, bringing more tears to her eyes.

There was her answer. It was too much for him. Even if he would never remember this truth, she would always know of his repulse.

Heartbroken, Amy nodded back, unable to bring herself to say anything. She turned back to the portal and prepared herself to walk through. One heavy step after another. A heavy sigh and a single tear were all she could express as she was inches away from erasing the timeline.

A pulling on her hand stopped her from taking the final step, her nose being millimetres from entering the portal. Looking back, she saw her husband holding her hand and smiling back at her. His hand gently squeezed hers. "For better or worse, you will always be my wife."

His love words brought her tears flooding back, no longer full of despair, but relief. "Sonic." She breathed out.

He pulled her back into his embrace and locked their lips in a kiss of tenderness and unconditional love, his arms holding her reassuringly and giving her the security she desperately needed. Amy returned the kiss, spilling her sincerity and gratitude into her passion.

Sonic broke their kiss and wiped her tears away. "I love you."

"I love you too. So much." She ran her fingers through his long quills. "I'll bring her back. I always put Amy first. From now and forever, I denounce my ascension, I denounce Aurielle. I'm your wife. I'm the mother of your children. Nothing else means more than retaining the girl you fell in love with."

He smiled with gratitude and kissed her forehead. "I know." Resting his head against hers, his smile remained.

Amy reluctantly moved away from him, sharing a smile with her lover. "One day, you'll remember what I've done. I'll make sure of it."

He nodded back at her. "Until then, don't forget." He told her, referring to the timeline they were both currently in.

Amy's smile widened. "Never."

Not wasting anymore time, Amy walked into the portal and travelled back to the moment where Sonic flew off to chase Doctor Eggman as the Doctor desperately ran to switch on his back up power supply. She walked out of the Doctor's main chamber and watched as her husband captured the man and knocked him to the ground.

"It's over, Eggman. Give up."

"Sonic!" The Doctor held his hands up. "You wouldn't hurt me, would you? Think of all the good times we've shared!"

The gold hedgehog raised an eyebrow. "You shot my wife! You were gonna turn me into a robot! You were gonna force me to kill my friends and you run the risk of destroying everything we have in the future!"

"That?" He laughed nervously. "That was all a misunderstanding! It's not like I've done all of those things at this point in time. I can still turn over a new leaf, I swear!"

Amy watched on from nearby, the familiar rage beginning to arouse from within. The justification of his death. It still made sense to her. With Eggman gone, the world would be safer and they would never have another threat from him again.

No. She had to remind herself of the consequences of that. She couldn't let Sonic carry the guilt of killing Eggman again. Even if she was the one to take his life, she knew Sonic would never forgive her. Killing was not the answer.

Being mindful to manipulate time for the two assistants like she had before, Amy approached her husband and the Doctor. "I offer you a chance of redemption, Doctor." She told him authoritatively.

Not wanting to get on the bad side of the Goddess, Eggman nodded his head frantically. "Yes! That's exactly what I need! A second chance!"

Holding Eggman down firmly, Sonic looked back the translucent hedgehog. "Delivering some kind of divine intervention, are ya?" He smirked.

"I guess you can say that..." She said, her seriousness never fading. Her attention turned back to the Doctor. "You will be given a second chance of life. One you will devote to the greater good. No other life will suffer under your hands again. Do you accept this fate?"

Both hedgehogs stared intensely at the man, waiting for his answer. He hesitated to respond, wearing a frown on his face. Her definition of a second chance meant to take away everything he had worked for, strived for, everything he was. No more would he have the dream to build the Eggman Empire, no more would he be the genius inventor with his own will.

What life was there without free will?

Still, he wasn't about to let these super powered hedgehogs know of his reluctance. "I accept..." He lied. "Let's shake on it."

Sonic looked to his wife for her consent. She nodded back at him. With her agreement, Sonic got off the Doctor. Eggman got up from the ground and dusted himself off, frowning at the golden hedgehog for creasing his attire. Conniving his intentions were as he held out his hand for the celestial hedgehog to shake.

Already aware of his betrayal, Amy kept up her facade and slowly lifted her hand to shake his.

Without any of his traps at his disposal, Eggman shoved the Goddess into Sonic, knocking them both to the ground. He made his quick getaway towards the back up power supply.

"You alright?" Sonic asked the girl as the couple sat up.

"Yes, don't worry about me. Go after him." She insisted.

"On it!" He rushed after Doctor in a golden light. With her husband in pursuit of the round man, Amy got up and walked over to the two little robots. She brought them back to the present. "Hello, you two." She smiled at them.

Coming aware of their surroundings, Orbot and Cubot looked up at the Goddess and shrieked, backing themselves into the wall behind them. "Don't dismantle us!" Orbot begged.

"Yeah! Don't take us apart. At least keep the useful one of us!" Cubot pointed to himself, earning a stern look from his round robot friend.

"Actually, I was gonna offer you a chance to redeem yourselves. After all, you two hold some accountability towards my death."

The duo looked to each other, then back at the celestial woman. Their options? Disobey Doctor Eggman, or disobey a powerful Goddess. Either way, they would be in trouble. With the translucent hedgehog standing in front of them, with the ability to destroy them at the click of her fingers, their choice was quite clear. "We're at your command, Goddess of Chaos."

She smiled back at them. "Where are those documents?"

Meanwhile with Sonic and Eggman, the Doctor sprinted as fast as he could to the power supply. Close behind him was the golden hedgehog, flying in pursuit. A smirk laced across his face as he watched the round bellied man run surprisingly fast. It was amazing how somebody so against exercise could move so fast when necessary.

As Sonic expected, Eggman soon came to a halt, panting and wheezing as he gasped for air. He rested his hand against the wall and tried to catch his breath. "Alri-" He wheezed. "Alright... You got me..."

"That was pretty impressive, Doctor. If I knew you were so good at running, I would've challenged you to a foot race." Sonic chuckled.

"If running gets me out of that pellucid fur ball's plans of redemption, consider me an athlete!" He opened up the panel in the wall his hand had been resting on and quickly pulled the lever, subsequently turning the power back on. "Ha! See if you can catch up after this!" He pressed a button on his wrist controller and released a dozen crab bots to attack his nemesis.

Sonic groaned. The minor distraction was hardly going to stop him. As the crab-like robots came towards him, Sonic charged through them, destroying them easily.

Smiling to himself, the hedgehog flew off in the direction the Doctor had ran to and followed the sound of heavy footing coming from the computer room. Sonic charged through the closed door and landed on the floor. "Eggman..." He said with a tempered tone.

"Ah, ha! Nice try, Sonic, but even in super form and a Goddess on your side, you have failed to save that precious little family of yours!" He slammed his hand down on a button on his keyboard and laughed manically. "You've lost, blue boy. I'll return even later in the future and you and your family will witness the greatness of the Eggman Empire!"

"He's not wrong." A feminine voice came from within the room. Both man and hedgehog looked around for the female but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's that pesky rat?!" Eggman looked around hastily for the girl.

Amy appeared next to Sonic with her arms crossed and a smug look on her face. "Don't let us stop you, Doctor." She looked to the cryogenic tank. "Your future awaits."

Eggman gave the translucent hedgehog a glare, suspicious of her sudden change of heart. Nevertheless, he took the opportunity and ran to the tank. He hopped into the machine and hovered his hand over the button next to him, within the machine. "This isn't the last you've heard from me. I'll be back and when I return, be ready for your defeat!" He laughed menacingly and slammed his hand on the button.

... There was an abrupt silence.

Puzzled, the Doctor looked to the button and pressed it with less force than before. Seeing no effect, he pressed hard, more frequently. The machine remained stationary. "What?!"

Amy giggled and pointed to the cables that she had disconnected after retrieving the book; with the help of Orbot and Cubot. She tutted at the mega mind. "Eggman. I thought you of all people would run a few tests or at least a maintenance check before trying to work such a machine."

"You insolent hedgehog!"

"Looks like you lose, Egghead." Sonic sneered.

"Not so fast! I still have the book!"

Amy held up the book to the man. "Oh? This book?"

His mouth dropped open in horror. "Ho-"

"A girl has her ways." Amy said nonchalantly. She handed the book to her lover and slowly approached the Doctor. "Give up, Eggman."

"Never! This was supposed to be my Empire! My destiny!"

The girl levitated off the ground and hovered before the Doctor. "Allow me to offer you a new one."

Sonic stepped forward, uncertain of her plan. "Amy?"

"Mortal riddled with deed so cruel; I cleanse you in the name of Chaos. Expel the crimes and be reborn in benevolence." She moved close to him as he backed up into the machine as much as he could, frantic with panic.

The urge was back. The rage, fuelled by the dark energy of the chaos within her. An enemy of the world right before her, his life in her hands. She had the power to take that all away. Take him away.

Her hand rested on his head, releasing a tension filled scream from the man. This was her moment. To bring justice. Salvation.

"Judgement has been passed. I, Aurielle, Goddess of Chaos, purge the taint and release you from malevolence."

"Aaaah!" Eggman screamed in a high pitched cry. "Somebody get her away from me! Orbot! Cubot! Help!" He tried to look for the robots. To his horror, he saw his assistants had been lying on top of one another, switched off by the Goddess herself.

Chaos energy enlightened the palm of her hand that rested on Eggman's head. His crimes would be served justice. Never again will he harm another life.

"Amy."

She looked over her shoulder at her husband. The concern in his ruby eyes and clear doubt made her hesitate. What was she thinking? She had just seen the effects of Eggman's death and how it affected Sonic and their relationship. Justice didn't have to mean death. He made her to understand that.

She didn't have to become the enemy.

Turning back to the panicking Doctor, Amy reminded herself of her promise and the consequences of breaking them. Taking a moment to compose her rage, she pressed her hand down on Eggman's forehead and passed her judgement. "Erase!"

Eggman instantly stopped screaming and blinked in confusion. Jumping off the man, Amy stood beside Sonic once more and waited for the genius to come round.

The Doctor held his spinning head. "Wh-Where am I?" He looked around at his surroundings, becoming more fearful with every piece of technology he could see. "What's going on? How did I get here?"

Amy held her hands, gently trying to calm the man down. "Hey. It's okay. You're safe now." She said soothingly.

Sonic looked bemused at Doctor Eggman, giving both the man and his wife a look of confusion. Had she just erased his mind?

Eggman cautiously climbed out of the machine. "Who are you? What do you want from me?"

"You were kidnapped. Don't worry, we've come to save you." Amy reassured the man, smiling brightly to aid her reassurance.

The man rubbed his head. "My memory's quite foggy. I can't even recall my name."

"You're an inventor named... Ivo... McNosehair..."

Sonic stifled his laughter. Forever to be known as Mister McNosehair. Perfect.

"We suspect you were kidnapped to assist the evil mastermind in his world domination."

Eggman chuckled. "World domination." He scoffed. "Kids these days and their need for power." He tutted. "Well, it's a good thing you two were able to save me before I could assist in some heinous plan."

"Yeah. Wouldn't want the possibility of an Eggman Empire, would we?" Sonic jested.

The middle aged man shook his head. "Eggman Empire... What a ridiculous idea."

"I know, right?"

Turning to the two assistants, Amy walked over to them and switched them back on. Upon rebooting, they look around, disoriented. "Hmm?" Orbot slowly got into an upright position. "What is this place?"

"What am I?" Cubot thought aloud. He looked down at his arms and immediately gasped in shock. "Ah! I'm a robot!"

Turning to the cubed shape robot, Orbot was relieved to see a familiar face. "Cubot! You're here too."

"Where's here?"

"You're in the fortress of an evil mastermind, but don't worry, you're safe now." Amy told them with the same soothing tone as she had given to Eggman. She stepped back and gestured to the round man. "This is Ivo McNosehair. I'm sure you remember your creator."

"Boss!" The robots cheered and hovered over to the inventor. "We're so glad you're safe!"

Sonic raised an eyebrow once again. "So Nose hair remembers nothing while the sidekicks remember some details?" He asked his wife.

Amy nodded back at him. "While you were chasing Eggman, I got those two to lead me to the book. After, I disconnected the cryogenic tank and configured their memory. They remember what Eggman looked like... Not so much his name and occupation."

"Heh, Nice." Sonic approved of her quick thinking. The couple watched the sweet reunion from a distance. That was it then? The mad genius was put to sleep and his crimes were nothing but a bitter memory. He would be able to live a full life and they would never hear of his maliciousness ever again.

The perfected timeline.

If only Sonic was aware of the woman she truly was.

"We'd better get out of here." Amy insisted.

Sonic looked to his wife, noticing her dampened toned. Why was she so upset? She had saved the world and their future. Shouldn't she be happy? "Uh, yeah. Sure."

Opening a portal, the hedgehogs and former villains were teleported to just outside the crater. They turned to one another and bid their goodbyes.

"I cannot thank you both enough for saving me and my robot pals from this Doctor Eggman character. We are eternally in your debt." Ivo bowed along with Orbot and Cubot.

Sonic waved his hand in protest. "No need. As long as you're safe, we're good."

Ivo grabbed the hedgehog's hand and shook it, slightly startling his former nemesis in the process. "You are truly a saint. Both of you. It has been a pleasure to get to know you."

Amy smiled at the inventor. "Where do you need to go from here? I can take you anywhere you need."

Ivo looked around, smiling enthusiastically at the surroundings of Metropolis. "I think we'll be just fine where we are. Set up a workshop, try and make a difference."

"Sounds good to me. Guess we'll see you around, Doc- I, uh, mean, McNosehair." He stifled his laugh yet again.

"And same to you two." He turned to his assistants. "Come along, boys. We have some estate shopping to do."

The Inventor and his aides walked towards the city of Metropolis, ready to begin their new lives outside evil work.

Sonic held Amy's hand, baffled yet amused to see his arch enemy be so kind and gentle. The Doctor they knew was gone. Surreal. "Can you believe we literally made friends with Eggman? The guys aren't gonna believe it, that's for sure."

Without any signs or forewarning, his wife wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her. Just as he had been throughout their side mission, Sonic looked bewildered yet returned her embrace. "Whoa, hey. Everything alright?"

"Yeah..." She voice broke. "I'm just happy we made it."

"We got pretty close to not making it. Too close for my liking." He looked at her and smiled. "But you pulled through, just like I knew you would."

She exhaled and smiled back at him. Looking deep into his eyes, she mentally debated on telling him of the potential path they would have taken had she not listened to him. If she had followed her own judgement, their lives would be so far apart.

Focusing back on the gold hedgehog, she noticed he was looking toward the fortress within the crater. He looked back at her with a smirk. "How about we make a clean slate and trash the fortress?"

Also looking down into the crater, Amy returned his smirk. "Race ya!" She said before flying down towards the main chamber once more.

Sonic chuckled to himself and followed shortly. In shades of white and gold, the fortress lit up and exploded into flames, crumbling the tower with a harsh rumbling.


	16. The Perfected Future

Chapter Sixteen: The Perfected Future

Sat up in bed, the Empress watched as her husband paced back and forth in front of her. She wasn't certain if he was confused or mad. Maybe both? Most likely both. He had witnessed what she had done to him, discovered the lies. Years of deceit that was battling the years of history they had.

Everything he had known about their love, their marriage, was a lie.

She had forced him to kill the doctor and then hid that fact away from him all this time? For Twelve years; A marriage and six children later?

"You didn't think I had a right to know?" He asked her gravelly, his voice was calm yet roughly intimidating **.**

She closed her eyes, the familiar grief returning to her. "I did what I had to do..."

"What you had to do?" He repeated her words, trying to make sense of her logic. "You did what you had to do?" He stopped and furrowed his eyebrows quizzically. "You just _had to_ force me to do your dirty work?" There was no possible way of keeping the Doctor alive?" He scoffed, the pain of her betrayal shrouding his mind. "You've lied to me for twelve years!"

"I know that!" She barked. "Do you think I've been guilt-free all this time?!"

"You didn't feel guilty enough to tell me." He crossed his arms and scowled at his wife. "I thought we were a team-"

"We are a team!"

Sonic scoffed. "How can you say that after lying to me from the start?"

"There's more to this!" She sighed, realising she was shouting in hysteria. "Look, if you just let me explain, I'll tell you everything."

He said nothing in response, simply gesturing her to continue with a firm nod.

Amy sighed again and looked down at her lap. "To awaken my powers, I had to take part in a sacrifice that all Vessels must take. To lose the life you lived and to be resurrected as... A God or Goddess..." She cringed at the mention of higher beings. "I was the only Vessel to successfully complete the sacrifice... But being the Goddess of Chaos came with a cost."

"What was that?"

"Magnanimity. A sense of mercy and nobility. I stopped being Amy Rose the minute I became Aurielle. I am merely a messenger, delivering judgement from the Gods. Whenever they want to pass judgement, this overwhelming anger within me just takes over and..." She sighed. "In that moment, I allowed it to consume me, persuading myself that a world without Eggman would be the ideal world."

Empathising with his wife, Sonic walked over to her and sat on the edge of the bed beside her. "Ames. You should have told me. What happened to you was completely out of your control." He rested his hand on hers reassuringly for a moment before the thought of how she ended up in her current state came into question. "There's something I don't quite get... You gave me your power and made me transform into hyper form. Why?"

She hesitated. Sonic was completely oblivious to her involvement in crossing various dimensions in time just to get to the point where they were now. Like all actions, hers involved consequences. "I had to enter the realm of the sacrifice to aide my younger self through the sacrifice. To get there, I needed to be dead... Or close enough to death. Our youngest son has been gifted with rather advanced development in quills... I used that to my advantage."

His mind performed a quick analysis on the information she had given him. To use their son's supposed advanced quills during labour to get to this realm, she would've known of his condition before he was due to be delivered. "You used our son's condition to deliberately cause severe damage to yourself, to get to that sacrifice?" To his surprise, she nodded and hung her head in shame.

Another shocking fact made his eyes widen in disbelief. As a hedgehog himself, he knew that quills only spiked up when panicked, angered or distressed. For a newborn to become so distressed that they'd perform such a reflect, the circumstances had to be dire. "Did you gamble on the well-being of our son to ensure you'd be in that realm?"

"What?" She looked up at him, trying to mask her guilt.

"We both know when quills spike. You knew he had this condition and you used it to your advantage? You deliberately made him so distressed that he would cause enough damage to make you pass out." His voice was back to that low, intimidating tone. "Right?"

Riddled with guilt, she looked back down at her lap. Seeing her guilty mannerisms, Sonic shook his head and looked down at the floor. "Whose idea was that? Amy's or Aurielle's?" He asked bitterly.

"Both. I did what I had to do to perfect the timeline!"

"First of all, no amount of desperation can justify putting our baby's life at risk. Second, what do you mean 'perfect the timeline'?" He paused, contemplating briefly. Perfecting something he believed was merely fate and she had no involvement in?

Ah, of course. Yet another one of her lies. She had been crossing various dimensions in time, meddling with the timelines to ensure she got the future she wanted?

He stared back at her, confused. "This wasn't just fate, was it?" He asked.

Amy slowly looked back up at him, bearing no expression on her face. "I assisted in the progress of the timeline to ensure mistakes were not made."

His whole world shattered before him. Twelve years together, seven years of marriage. All of it hanging on the edge. "What exactly were you 'assisting' in?" His tone was getting more agitated the more he listened.

Turning her head away from him, she revealed just how much she had meddled with the timelines. "I was the one that told my younger self of her powers through the Master Emerald. I told her about a sacrifice needing to be made. I guided her through the sacrifice and..."

"And what?" He growled lowly.

How often did she hear him this angry? Scarcely rare. So rare, hearing his anger now was making her feel uneasy. She continued to refuse to look him in the eyes as she revealed her secrets. "I was the one who reminded Metal of the past and told him to reverse the clock to be with me again."

Translation; She was the one to tell Metal Sonic who he was and what had happened to him, sending him into insanity yet giving him the determination to go back in time and change what happened to him.

Ergo sending him back in time to get involved in their first encounter on Little Planet.

Ergo, without her meddling, there was a likelihood of him never meeting her.

Wow. Her level of involvement in their history was astounding.

"What does that mean for us, huh? Was that apart of your meddling? Getting me to fall in love with you?"

She gasped, feeling the pain of his accusation stabbing her through the heart. Despite her pain, she dared herself to dare him to repeat what he had accused her of. "Excuse me?"

Her piercing eyes made him slightly wary. Nevertheless, he refused to let her see his caution. "Did you use your power to force me into loving you? I mean, without your conniving plans, we probably wouldn't be together now, right? Your level of manipulation clearly has no bounds. So tell me, is our marriage based on magic alone?"

Amy remained in a brooding silence, staring deathly at her husband with the pain and heartache appearing in the form of tears in her eyes. A click of the tongue soon broke their silence, forcing them both to gaze at one another. "Let's analyse what you just asked, shall we?" She said passive aggressively. "Did I use my power to force you into loving me...? Did I spend ten years of my life being rejected, heartbroken and mistreated only to force you into loving me?"

Her point made him swallow his previous attitude. Now uncomfortable with his past actions against her being thrown back at him, he looked away from her and down at the floor.

"Did I cry myself to sleep at night after every missed date, every time you ran from me, every time you made me feel like my feelings were irrelevant, just so I could force you into loving me?" She sobbed unintentionally, covering her mouth with the back of her hand to prevent any more sobs from coming out. "So ask me again if I forced you to love me after suffering for ten years to get your attention."

He couldn't bring himself to look back at her after hurting her so badly. His questioning was justified. His bitter deliverance of those questions that made his wife cry? Not good.

"I had visions and dreams of meeting you on Little Planet. Yes, maybe things would've turned out differently had Metal not intervened on our first encounter. That doesn't mean I wouldn't have met you. The Gods decided we were meant to be. I'm sorry for trying to help you in another dimension but I did what I could to save you, no matter how it all turned out! With Metal going back in time, it created a loop in time, ensuring any mistakes during the sacrifice would be corrected. Why? Because I love you enough to continuously go through that unbearable torture just to be with you and our children!"

Now riddled with guilt for his accusation, Sonic breathed heavily through his nose and moved his body to face her. "I'm sorry..." He apologised.

Sulking, the Empress slumped back against her pillow. "At least we're both clear on how genuine you think our relationship is..." She crossed her arms and looked away from him.

He groaned at her stubbornness. "Look, I admit I shouldn't have accused you like that. But how do you expect me to feel after you used me as a weapon and kept that from me for years?"

Rolling her eyes, she looked back at the blue hedgehog and raised her eyebrow. "What do you _actually_ remember about that war? After we went to stop Eggman from freezing himself in the cryogenic tank?"

"We infiltrated the base, chased Eggman down..." He paused, the realisation of what _actually_ happened now left him feeling stupid. He closed his eyes and sighed. "And we retrieved the book and stopped the machine..."

"And?"

Again, he exhaled deeply from his nose, releasing his irritation and embarrassment. "You erased his memory." His eyebrows furrowed again in bemusement. "Then what were those flashbacks I saw?"

"Pieces of my memory showing the consequences of my actions if I had passed divine judgement on the Doctor. I swore to you that one day, you'd remember what could've happened if I allowed you to kill Eggman. I carried that guilt of you not knowing what I did. Even still, performing that future allowed me to realise what I'm truly capable of and why you were chosen to be my husband." She moved her hand onto his, rubbing his hand tenderly in an act of forgiveness. "With you by my side, supporting me and guiding me, we have created the perfected timeline."

He stared down at their hands before looking back at her. He was astounded. Not by what she had done in another time, but for how long she had carried that guilt, even after correcting what she had done, she held onto her promise and never allowed her darker side to pass judgement. She had always valued his opinion and never made a decision without him.

Now he could see why.

"I should have told you sooner." She said grievously. "You should have known who I really was, what I'm capable of... I'm sorry. For everything." The tears spilled from her eyes as she squeezed her eyes shut in anguish. "I understand if you can't but... Can you ever forgive me?" She looked back into his eyes. "Will you still take me as your wife?"

Sonic continued to stare at the pink hedgehog with little to no emotion across his face. He witnessed the tears becoming more frequent and heavier as they began to flow down her cheeks. A small smile slowly grew on his strong features. "You're an idiot sometimes." Taken back by his bantering insult, Amy gave him an innocently confused look.

He pulled her into a hug and kissed the side of her head. "So you're not this perfect Goddess you told yourself you would be, doesn't mean you're not a good person."

"You really think that?" She asked, her innocence mocking that of a child.

"Yeah. You may have followed that rage inside you but you corrected it. Since then, I've watched you have this internal fight with yourself whenever a big decision had to be made. Guess I know why now. You have always done what you had to do to be the best ruler, mother and wife you could be. You're more than the woman I fell in love with. To me, you are perfection." He lifted her chin with his finger. "So to answer your question, yes. I still take you as my wife. I knew I was signing up for crazy the moment I started to fall for you."

"Hey!" She giggled and gently swatted his chest. Her moment of banter was soon changed to genuine gratitude and love. "I love you, Sonic."

"I love you too. Even if you do have a screw lose or two." She swatted him again, causing him to chuckle. "On a serious note though, no more secrets. For better or worse, we tackle problems together."

"You're right." She smiled. "No more secrets."

The lovers shared a mutual loving gaze, softened hues of jade and emerald green expressing their adoration for one another without words. The many years failed to lessen the bond they shared and neither could her secrets.

Adjusting their positions so they were both cuddled together on the bed, Sonic wrapped his arm around his wife and rested his head against his arm. "I'm still a little slow on all of this."

"Hmm?" Amy coaxed him.

"If this is the perfected timeline, what was the original timeline? I mean, we still ended up ruling the place and having the kids. Are there any changes?"

"There are a few changes." She informed him. "In our original timeline, Eggman successfully escapes the battle and used the cryogenic tank and was able to transfer the book to himself in the past using the chaos emerald. I didn't acknowledge the book, thus giving Eggman the possibility to return while giving the other Eggman in the past a second chance at creating the Eggman Empire."

"Right... So now, Eggman is no longer Eggman and everything else remains the same?"

"Not necessarily. Originally, After Eggman successfully froze himself in the cryogenic tank, we eventually went to war with many countries and in doing so, my self-righteous ways caused millions of deaths... You being the supportive husband that you are, pushed your own displeasure aside out of love for me... With the timeline corrected, Eggman is now Ivo McNosehair, renown inventor but also a toymaker. He owns his own toy store in Metropolis. Funny enough, he's called it the Eggman Empire."

Sonic laughed. "Well what do you know? He really did get his Empire."

"Exactly." Amy joined in on his laughter. She smiled proudly at her husband. "Thanks to you saving me from myself, we were able to form a truce with opposing countries, thus assuring no wars or deaths."

A smile grew on the Emperor's lips. "We saved everyone?"

"Yep. I mean, there's a case of population control but, eh, we can sort that out together."

He pulled the Empress into a tight embrace, rocking her back and forth and laughing with glee. "You are the most amazing woman that's ever lived."

Giggling at his praise and goofy affection, the pink hedgehog towered over her husband and smiled down at him. "There's one more thing."

"What's that?"

Her smile became bashful. "There was another reason why I wanted to go back to the realm of the sacrifice. To remove my immortality."

Sonic was back to looking confused. "Why would you want to get rid of your immortality?"

"Til death do us part. I don't want to continue living if I have to do it without you. I can still heal myself but when the time comes, I'll be right by your side."

Sonic rolled his eyes playfully at his wife. "You are such a sap."

She scoffed. "And you are a jerk! I gave up my immortality for you and you insult me? What on Mobius do I see in you?"

"The looks. Definitely the looks." He grinned at her, slowly breaking through her fake annoyance.

"And the ego." She grinned as she shortened the distance between them.

"Amongst other things..." He said quietly with a hint of seduction in his tone of voice. His hand got lost in her long quills and gently pulled her towards him. Their lips parting ever so slightly in inviting matter, brushing against each other lightly.

A knock at the door quickly brought the couple out of their little moment.

Quickly hopping out of the bed, Sonic fixed his quills and briefly looked to his wife to check her decency. After fixing her own quills and red nightdress, she nodded to her husband to signal the guest in. "Enter."

Two servants opened the doors for the two midwives and matron. In the hands of the midwives were the newborns, both securely wrapped in blue blankets. As the women made their way into the room, the doors were closed behind them.

Seeing the Empress alive and well, the matron failed to hold back her tears of relief. "Your Imperial Majesty." She bent the knee before the two rulers, the midwives performing small curtsies behind her. "I am so happy to see you are okay. We did everything we could to stop the bleeding."

Amy smiled and waved her hand to the woman. "I am aware of you and your sister's brilliant efforts in such a traumatic experience. I thank you, Matron. You and your team."

Grateful to receive praise on behalf of the midwives, the matron curtsied once more. "Thank you, your Imperial Majesty."

"May we see our children?" Amy asked, growing impatient though refused to let it show.

"Ah, right. Yes, of course." The matron nodded. "Go on." She whispered to the midwives.

The women walked over to the Empress and placed a baby in each arm. "We were uncertain of your condition, your Imperial Majesty so we provided the babies with formula."

"As long as they're happy and full." She looked down at the two boys in her arms, the tears beginning to form at the sight of them.

Seeing his wife getting emotional, the Emperor insisted on privacy to help with the bonding. "Thank You. You may leave us."

"Yes, your Imperial Majesty." The women curtsied a final time before leaving the parents with their newborns.

The blue hedgehog moved back onto the bed and looked at his alert baby boys looking up at their mother. Wonder-struck. The condition automatically bestowed upon him when he saw his newborn babies for the first time. The overwhelming sense of pride and boundless joy that threatened his heart to burst.

Just as he had with his previous children, he shed a tear. A tear that he had come to acknowledge, was the symbol to his oath as a father to forever love unconditionally and provide all the nurturing, teachings and protection they would need.

First, he looked to the baby facing his way, currently known as Baby A. His unkempt bangs, much like his older brother, Core's, hung over his eyes sacramento green eyes. His looks were just as unique as Core. Three stubbed quills aligned down the back of his head rather than six spikes protruding like the father's own.

His eyes soon focused on the last born. Wanting to see just how significant their son's condition was, Sonic carefully pulled back the blanket wrapped around him. To his surprise, he had to pull the blanket down all the way to the baby's stubbed tail to see the ending of his six long quills.

Sonic was mesmerised. While he believed what his wife had told him about the newborn's quills, seeing them for himself left him awestruck. His pelt was a colour similar to Core's, a deep sky blue and his skin fading it's redness for a more pale skin tone.

"Wow..." He muttered.

"I know. Aren't they beautiful?" Amy had been too focused on the babies to see her husband's astonishment.

"You weren't kidding when you said his quills were advanced..."

"Believe me, I found that out the hard way." She smiled adoringly to the baby. "Would you like to hold him?"

He hastily nodded, gently prying the little baby away from his mother. The boy looked back at him, his arms flailing gently had loosened the blanket around him. Sonic smiled proudly at his son, gingerly rubbing his nose against his forehead. "Hey little buddy. Do you recognise my voice? I'm the guy who would talk to you through your mummy's belly. You won't say it for awhile but I'm your dad. I'm gonna teach you so many things; how to talk, to walk, to run at supersonic speed. But most of all, I'm gonna teach you how to cut those quills of yours because those are crazy!"

"Sonic." Amy laughed.

He chuckled softly, cradling the little boy in his arms soothingly. "Nah, most of all, I'm gonna love you unconditionally." He pretended to hear his son speak. "Huh? Why, I hear you ask? Because you, your brothers and sisters and your mother mean everything to me." He looked back at his wife and shared another adoring smile. "And I thank the Gods everyday for all of you."

"Oh, honey." Amy gushed. She looked down to the dark blue hedgehog in her arms. "Your dad's the real sap in this marriage."

"Pfft. Please, that would damage my ego." He joked. "Can I hold... That one...? What are we gonna call 'em?"

The couple exchanged babies and held them close. "I was thinking we'd let the children decide."

Sonic gave her a look of horror. "The kids?! Heh, Ames, do you really trust them with naming babies? We might end up with kids called Chilli and Dog... Donut and..." He looked around the room for an inanimate object. "Bulb."

"I thought you'd approve of Chilli and Dog." She grinned at him and laughed at his serious gaze. "At least hear them out. You might be surprised by what they come up with."

Rolling his eyes sarcastically, Sonic smiled back at her. "Alright. But if it's anything to do with their favourite foods or their favourite toys, I'm out."

"Deal." Amy agreed. She slowly got out of bed with Baby B in her arms and opened a portal in the middle of the room. "First, we have to go and get Cryptic."

"Oh man, Cryptic. I forgot all about him." Sonic chuckled sheepishly out of guilt. He moved off the bed and looked his wife up and down. "You're going like that?" Referring to her red nightdress.

Amy turned back to him and raised her eyebrow. "No. I can't meet our former selves in this state. What would you think of me?"

"You look amazing no matter how you look."

"Thank you, sweetie but I was talking about your younger self." She smirked. Rolling his eyes, he approached her and allowed her to fabricate his regal attire onto his body.

His long, red coronation robes appeared around his broad shoulders. An intricate cape with equal intricate detailing of gold cascading down either side the front of the cape. His shoes were replaced with militia, laced up, red and white boots. Ones he was not particularly fond of. His heavy, golden crown with added jade gemstones appeared on his head, leaving the Emperor frowning with disapproval.

His wife had pulled out all the stops with her own outfit. Opting for a white, sheer fabric gown with an open slit down the side of her leg, her dress left her husband speechless. Lace detailing covered the sweetheart neckline and travelled down the bodice, the same detailing decorated the long sleeves with added fabric that fell down her arms and levelled with the full length skirt.

To match her impressive choice of dress, she had painted her features with light makeup, her shining lips and lengthened lashes making that apparent to him. "Out to impress, I see?"

"I'm simply showing your younger self what to look forward to in future." She finally fabricated her jade adorned circlet onto her head.

"So... You get to look breathtaking while I have to look like some knock off figurine?"

Amy giggled and walked up to her husband to kiss his cheek. "You look very handsome."

"You know I hate these clothes."

"You hate clothes in general."

"Exactly. You should hate them too." He grinned.

"Oh? And why's that?"

His grin only grew as she turned to him and smirked. Watching her husband visibly checking her out, Amy giggled and grabbed his hand. "C'mon, Hornhog. We gotta get Cryptic before we make anymore children."

Chuckling along with the Empress, the couple walked through the portal to retrieve their time travelling advisor.

* * *

After destroying Eggman's fortress, Sonic and Amy flew back to the mountain side where their friends were resting and were welcomed back with victorious cheer. The group huddled around and gestured their victory with fist bumps, pats on the back and pumping their fists into the air.

"I can't believe we all survived!" Tails said, earning quizzical looks. He smiled bashfully. "I meant I'm surprised we took so many robots on with barely any casualties."

Sonic pulled Amy close to him, squeezing her shoulder gently. "Not only did we survive, we won't be hearing from Eggman anymore." The team came to an abrupt silence, looking at one another with concerned expressions, assuming the Doctor had died. Sonic chuckled at their speculation. "We may hear from Ivo McNosehair though."

Furrowing his eyebrows, Knuckles demanded an explanation. "What are you talking about?"

"Amy here erased Eggman's memory. The evil genius is now a very polite genius, with the strive to make the world a better place."

"Wow..." Tails gasped. "So we've officially seen the last of Eggman?" Sonic nodded back at his buddy.

"About time if you ask me." Rouge shrugged. "If I see another one of his robots again, it'll be too soon."

The group chuckled, agreeing with the bat's statement.

Shadow turned to Amy and picked up on her sadness covered by a fake smile. "Are you alright?" He asked her.

Amy looked back at her brother and gave him a hug. "Yeah. Just glad this all over." She lied.

A portal appeared behind the Fighters. Perhaps the fight wasn't over just yet. "Aw, come on! What now?!" Knuckles cracked his knuckles and got into battle position.

The team copied the Echidna's actions and got into fighting stances, ready to take on any other threat that was coming their way.

Two silhouettes; one significantly taller than the other, appeared within the portal. The advisor recognised them instantly. "Wait!" Cryptic cried. "It's the Imperial Majesties."

The team stepped back and allowed Sonic, Amy and Cryptic to address the Emperor and Empress. The hedgehogs looked back at their friends momentarily and waited for their future selves to appear. The regal hedgehogs shortly stepped out of the portal with their newborns in their arms and walked up to the trio waiting for them, stopping a few steps in front of them.

"Your Imperial Majesties." Cryptic knelt before the Emperor and Empress. Looking at each other, Sonic and Amy followed suit, causing a chain reaction in their friends.

The Emperor sighed. "Cryptic. You were supposed to cut back on the etiquette stuff, not convince everyone else to join in." He said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, Sire!" Cryptic and the rest of the team got back onto their feet.

Again, the hedgehog sighed. It was safe to say Cryptic had not abandoned his courtesy. "Nevermind..."

Giggling softly at her husband's annoyance, the Empress looked to the badger. "It's good to see you again, Cryptic. Nice suit by the way."

Cryptic looked down at his exo suit and blushed sheepishly. "Thank you, your Imperial Majesty." He bowed his head.

"Hey. You're not stuttering anymore." She commented.

"Ah, yes. Tails assisted me in speech therapy."

"Congratulations, Cryptic. I'm proud of you." She left the advisor speechless and overwhelmed with honour. Smiling, she turned her attention to the young Goddess. "So, you did it? Became a Goddess, brought divine judgement on the Doctor and saved our family." She bowed her head. "Thank you."

Amy bowed her head back at the pink hedgehog. "You're welcome."

Turning her head to the blue hedgehog beside the young Goddess, she couldn't help but notice his wandering eyes falling on her, staring at the dress she had picked out just for him. Their eyes soon met, causing him to blush with embarrassment from being caught. The Empress smiled flirtatiously. "Hello Sonic." She winked at him.

Amy glared back at her older self before quickly turning to her husband. His clearly flustered appearance made her turn her glare from the Empress to him. Daring to look back at his wife, an involuntary, sheepish smile appeared on his face, feeling embarrassed even more so. "What? She's you!" He called out in his own defense.

"Alright. You've had your fun." The Emperor grabbed his wife's hand and pulled her back to his side. He turned to the young Goddess and smiled, bowing his head slightly to her. "Rosebud."

Oh Chaos. How was it possible for him to defy the bounds of perfection and reach a new level of beauty? This taller, strengthened version of her husband with his authoritative clothing only adding to his beguiling appearance. A quiet giggle escaped her lips as a rosy blush appeared across her face.

"Ahem..." She heard her husband clear his throat. Realising her little coy laughter was heard by her husband, Amy's eyes darted to her husband, seeing him frowning back at her. "What? You just said yourself. They're us!" She used his own justification against him.

Sensing the problem they had caused, the Empress grasped her husband's hand and giggled at the young couple."Yes, I think that's enough fun." She turned back to their younger selves. "The both of you will tackle many trials in the near future. What's important to remember is that you both work together." The regal woman looked up at her husband admirably. "It's both of you versus the problem. Always."

Her advice seemed rather obvious. As partners they would share their issues and sort them together, right? Then again, if it was so obvious, why did she have to remind them?

Their thoughts on the Empress's advice were quickly put on hold as she called to her advisor. "Come now, Cryptic. It's time to go."

The advisor nodded but turned back to the fox amongst the Freedom Fighters. Tails smiled back at him. "Uh, may I have a moment, Your Imperial Majesty?"

Taken back by the request he wouldn't dare ask before the being sent back in time, the Empress nodded back at him and waited beside her husband.

Cryptic approached the young fox and smiled bittersweet. "It has truly been a pleasure, Tails. Thank you for everything." He twisted the bracelet on his wrist, removing the exo suit in the process. He handed it back to Tails.

Tails however, pushed the bracelet back to the badger. "Keep it."

"You're certain?" Cryptic asked, looking down at the bracelet in his hands.

"Of course. It'll be a souvenir from our time, to yours." The young genius said, patting the advisor on his shoulder. "See you in the future, Cryptic."

"Yes, indeed." He nodded back at fox. Waving goodbye to Tails and the team, Cryptic rejoined the Emperor and Empress.

"Ah, Cryptic." The Emperor grabbed the badger's attention. "With the timeline changing in the future, I'm afraid nobody's going to remember that you risked your life to save the world."

"Ah..." Cryptic said, disappointed by the news. He hadn't been expecting any reward, but hearing nobody would know of his sacrifice and his bravery, he couldn't help but feel saddened. He would return to the future and all his efforts would mean nothing to anybody.

"But..." The Emperor caught his attention once more. "That doesn't mean we've forgotten." He smiled at the flabbergasted advisor. "In honour of your bravery, you will be awarded a medal of honour and a promotion to Chief Advisor."

Cryptic gasped loudly and instantly broke down in tears. "Oh, Sire. Thank you so much! This is the greatest honour of them all." He wailed, covering his face with his hands.

"Alright, alright." Sonic tried to calm the badger down. "No need to flood us in tears." He jested. The blue hedgehog looked to Sonic and Amy. "Thank you again for saving our family."

"You're welcome." The two responded in unison.

Moving towards the portal, the Emperor and Empress looked back and waved. "Oh and Sonic?" The Emperor said. Sonic looked to his older self. "Don't ever lose your faith." He said with no context. With that, they walked into the portal and with them, the portal vanished.

"What do you think he meant by that?" Amy asked her husband.

"No idea." He shrugged. Deep down, he knew his older self was referring to the doubt he held in Amy after seeing her come close to killing the Doctor before erasing his memory. For a moment, he believed she would truly kill him. Apart of him thought she was possessed. Though reassured by her actions to erased the mad Doctor's memory, there was still a glimmer of uncertainty within.

Regardless, he shrugged it off. Twelve years in the future and they were still going strong. That was enough to assure him.

Pulling the pink hedgehog close, he yawned. "I don't know about you but I think that day in bed is in order."

She smirked at him. "You might be onto something there." The thought of her demolished house came to mind. "Although, I may have to fix my house first..."

"Please do. We can't go back to Tails's."

"Why?"

"We'd have to be quiet."

Rolling her eyes, Amy smiled and held his hand. "You're terrible, you know that?" She laughed as they walked back to their friends.

"Come on. You know I'm right."

Defeated with a traitorous smile, Amy looked back at the blue hero and gave him a devious grin. "Quick goodbye and then we go straight to the house."

"Yes!" He picked the girl up and dashed to their friends, eager to leave and get back to the house where all of this began.

* * *

Back to the comfort of their grand home, Sonic and Amy walked through the halls with the two newborns fast asleep in their arms. They looked at each other, giddy with excitement. Now 7:00am, it was an appropriate time for their little ones to wake up and meet their new siblings.

The parents entered the children's room and gently roused their sleeping children. One by one, the children sat up and rubbed their eyes.

"Morning, sweethearts." Amy spoke softly. "We have two little hedgehogs we'd like you to meet."

Each child focused on the babies in their parents arms and gasped. Core and Astra jumped up and down in their beds excitedly while Jolt and Nova eagerly got out of bed and rushed over to their parents with Core and Astra shortly following. Sonic and Amy knelt down before their children and showed them the newborns.

"Cool!" Core approved of his brothers.

"Are they boys or are they girls?" Nova asked.

"They're both boys." Sonic told his youngest daughter only to hear her twin sister whine and stomp. He turned to Astra. "What's wrong?"

"I wanted a girl!" The girl stomped her feet in a tantrum. Tears soon joined her outburst.

Smiling hopelessly to her daughter, Amy grabbed her hand and soothed her. "Hey, hey. There's no need to be upset, Sweetie. In future, mummy and daddy will give you a baby sister, okay?"

"Wait. Will we?" Sonic questioned his wife. Their last born would be a little girl?

Amy smiled back at her husband and nodded. "Yep. A little girl to complete our little family... Well, maybe not little." She giggled.

Hearing her mother's promise of a little sister, Astra calmed down and stared at her brothers with a sulking face.

"What's their names?" Jolt asked, gently stroking his little brother's forehead in his mother's arms.

Amy looked to her husband, finding him staring right back at her with a worried expression. She grinned and looked back at their children. "I thought, since you guys were thinking of baby names before bed, you could give us some suggestions."

Excited, the children looked at one another, silently debating who would give the suggestions out amongst themselves. Core soon grew impatient and cheered one of the names they had thought of. "The baby in mummy's arms will be called Valour!"

Looking down at his son with the advanced quills, a smile soon appeared on his face. Valour. Yeah, he liked that name. It was courageous. A well-known trait through their family. "Not bad, guys. That's one down." He looked to the sleeping newborn in his arms. "Now what about this little guy?"

Nova raised her hand, waiting to be acknowledged to speak. "Nova?"

"He looks like a Theon."

Amy looked to her husband for his approval, her big smile letting him know she already agreed with them. Sonic looked at the Empress momentarily and then back at his son. Theon. A name meaning Godly. Considering he would grow up to have his mother's powers, the name was fitting. Theon and Valour. He approved. "Great job picking out names, guys. I think Theon and Valour like them too."

"Daddy. They can't talk. They are babies!" Astra told her father with her hands on her hips.

Sonic pretended to be none the wiser. "Argh, of course. Thank you for reminding me, precious. You know how slow daddy can be sometimes." He winked at his little girl, causing her and her siblings to giggle.

"Hey dad? Are the babies gonna be fast like us?" Jolt asked curiously.

"No idea, Buddy. But, babies do learn from example. How about you guys show 'em just how fast you can all get ready for breakfast? I'll give you all five minutes to brush your teeth, brush your pelts and be at the dining table. First one there gets extra servings of pancakes. Ready for the challenge?"

"Yeah!" They cheered.

"Three... Two... One..." The children lined up next to each other and readied themselves to run. The suspense left them bouncing on the spot. "One and three quarters... One and a half..."

"Daddy!"Astra protested against Sonic's stalling.

"Go!"

A collective streak of indigo blue race out of the bedroom and around the temple. Sonic and Amy cuddled their babies close to shield them from the gust of wind the wake of their children. Chuckling softly to themselves, the couple exchanged smiles of joy and slowly rose to their feet.

"You realise they're all gonna look like rabid hedgehogs with toothpaste around their mouths and wild quills, just so they can win, right?" Amy grinned at the blue hedgehog.

Sonic carefully rose to his feet with Theon in his arm and assisted his wife in getting up. "Eh, they can be a pack of ferals when they want to be. May as well look the part."

"And what does that say about us as parents?"

"We make some pretty cute ferals?"

Amy tutted at him, linking her free arm with his own and allowing him to lead them to the grand dining room. She looked down at the sleeping Valour in her arm. "Don't listen to him, Valour. Your father is just self projecting."

"Heh, I only act feral around you. In fact, that's how these two came to be."

A blush appeared across her cheeks. "And Raela."

He paused. "Who?"

"Our last born. Conceived in just four months from now. On that lovely ledge on the balcony you just love to hang me off of." She smirked.

Now he was blushing. "Are you going to be healed by then? You just had two babies and Valour didn't exactly leave you in the best condition."

"Sonic. I healed myself awhile ago... Which means I am more than well enough to try and tame the blue wind tonight." She winked mischievously at him and carried on walking, leaving him flabbergasted on the spot.

"And she calls me feral..." He chuckled to himself and shortly followed her to have breakfast with their family.

The life of an Emperor was not an easy on. The life of fatherhood was never a walk in the park either. And yet, in the midst of his chaotic life, he thanked the Gods everyday for the destiny he was given. A wife, six children; now established was soon to be seven, and the world bowing at their feet.

Yes, he was truly a man to be envied.


End file.
